The Alliance: Rise of the Champions
by MaverickBuff
Summary: 2 years have passed since the incident years ago, but Azaroth finds himself with a new set of problems when an acolyte gets kidnapped. Nothing is as it seems, and something way beyond him my be in the wake, coming to Rune-Midgard. Part 2. Completed.
1. Prologue: The Paladin and Her Crusader

_**Warning:**_ _This fanfic is a sequel to 'The Alliance: Questionable Honour.' It can be read by itself, but certain things are better understood after reading it's prequel. _**  
**

**Prologue: The Paladin and Her Crusader**

A young woman walked down the stone corridor of the Pronteran Army Headquarters, located nearby the Pronteran castle, with long confident strides. As she looked out the window at the clear blue sky, she decided it was a beautiful day and started whistling to herself.

Melanie Stryfort was a young 22 year old crusader who served the Pronteran Army. She was a crusader by profession, and a very well decorated soldier. She joined the church initially to serve as a swordswoman when she was 16, before attaining her rank as a crusader, enlisted in the army when she was 18 and attained her first command of a platoon when she was 19. She was an excellent fighter and leader and many people acknowledge that, even though there are some people envious of her, probably due to her young age.

" Hey, Melanie, where you heading?" Flick Kernal called to her as she passed by. He was flanked along with Camelia Wonderwind, both of them former classmates of Melanie.

" I'm going to see 'Grandma'," she replied jovially to her friends, as she embraced Camelia in their customary hug every time they met.

'Grandma' was the affectionate nickname of her commanding and division officer, Paladin Deinnelle Zelkenia. It was an apt nickname, since Deinnelle was the oldest commanding officer in the army who still was able to fight. She was a kind-hearted and warm leader, although most of the people in the army knew how ferocious she could get when she was fighting.

Deinnelle was Melanie's teacher when she was training to attain her rank as a crusader. She was apprehensive at first when she was going to meet her after all the stories about her conquest in her years of service in the army. Melanie expected a gruff, pompous old lady with a loud, guttural voice and dark, tan skin. She would not be surprised if she spotted more than 2 scars, minimum, on her face.

It was much to her surprise, and relief, the Deinnelle did not look one bit like the officer she imagined in her mind. Melanie remember how taken aback she was when she first laid eyes on her mentor. She had a light brown complexion and a sparkle in her eyes. She had a soft, but rough voice with a calming exterior and commanding air, but yet not arrogant. She had a motherly look, a look Melanie fell in love with since she was an orphan before she could even remember. The first words she heard spoken from her were: " Good Lord, am I that scary?"

Melanie understood that her commander had a tragic past, and she found it surprising not too many people knew about it. She was married to the Zelkenia family and she had 6 children. However, by law, her family needed to send one family member to enlist in the army. This was due to some crime her husband's family committed generations ago and had to repay in kind. Her family was the last generation to pay in this kind.

She decided to enlist the army to spare her family the trouble and risk of dying in war. Besides, it was during the wartime that she enlisted in the army. She was known as a very loving and caring mother, and she did what she thought was the best for her children. However, her efforts were to be in vain. She lost her husband in the war, and in another major one 15 years later, she lost all her remaining children, including her grandson whom she got from her first daughter.

It was after this that she became more morose and dark. To people, she always put up a brave front, smiling and treating her subordinates fairly, but deep down inside she was torn up apart from her loss. It was ironic that she survived while her family perished when it was her who took up arms in the war.

She was known to love her daughters very much, and most of the men in the army complain that she was rather biased towards the females in her division in general. Melanie had to agree with that, although she was not about to complain. Melanie didn't meet Deinnelle before her loss, so she wasn't too sure of her personality before then, but she had heard enough from Aesis Crenilia, the Division commander of the 1st division of the Royal Army of Rune-Midgard, to get the idea.

Melanie had always strived to perform her best for Deinnelle, and she had never disappointed her superior officer, not once. However, she felt a pang of sadness in her heart. Deinnelle was getting old, almost in her fifties, way past her prime years and her best has left her. She was probably going to retire soon, although Melanie hoped she would stay on longer for maybe a few more years.

" Seeing 'Grandma', eh? What for, going to get a spanking?" Flick laughed. Camelia scowled at her companion's sense of humour.

" No, I wish. I'm getting a promotion," Melanie replied, not bothered by Flick's ways.

Melanie was not too sure about this statement actually. Her commanding officer had just called her up and asked her to meet her at her office at noon to talk about something. She sounded jovial in the morning, and the first thing that struck Melanie's thoughts was promotion in the army. She was hoping for it, although she was not too sure about it.

" Well, good luck anyway. I've got the afternoon covered by keeping an eye on rookies who can't even wet their pants properly," Camelia said, patting her friend on her shoulder before leaving. Flick gave a wave before following Camelia.

It took her another 5 minutes navigating her way along corridors and room before she could hear the sound of a piano being played at the distance. She knew who was playing it and immediately took off following the sound.

" Why the hell do you always keep that ridiculously heavy armour on all the time?" Melanie asked the moment she opened the heavy wooden doors as she stepped into Deinnelle's office.

Unlike most other people who work in her field, Deinnelle preferred to wear her heavily fortified full-plated armour all the time, except when she was going to sleep. Melanie found it cumbersome to wear it all the time, so she usually takes it off when she is not on duty. Right now, she was wearing nothing more than her undergarments, a singlet and a short pair of pants along with her leather boots. She looked more like a peasant than a crusader of the Pronteran Army, except with a ridiculously large build that only a crusader could achieve.

" The armour signifies the symbol of a crusader: the power and strength that comes from it. I wear it all the time to remind myself of it. Besides, what's wrong with wearing it around the place?" Deinnelle asked, her hands still gracefully pressing the piano keys to produce music. Granted, she was not the best player around and her music key is a little awkward, but nobody really complains.

" Well, you called me. What is it, ma'am?" Melanie asked.

" Well, since you are one of my closest students, and a good friend, I decided to tell you this first in advance. It has come to my attention that I'm getting 'old', so I've decided that this should be the right time for me to step down as the 3rd Division Commander. Besides, I'm…"

" Wait, don't tell me you are retiring?" Melanie groaned, interrupting her commander. Sometimes, it was easy for Melanie to forget that she was talking to her superior officer and not a friend, and this was one of the traits Deinnelle did not like about Melanie, but since they were pretty close, she usually let it slide.

" Who gave you that damn idea?" Deinnelle reprimanded her, her fingers pressing the piano keys harder than was required, changing the light, soothing music to sound slightly jumpy.

" I don't get it…If you are not retiring…sorry, please continue," Melanie said stopping in mid-sentence, seeing Deinnelle's expression.

" Look her, girl. I'm not retiring, alright, not yet. But, I'm way past my prime and I can't lead my division as well as I could years ago. Unfortunately age catches up with everyone, whether we like it or not. I'm retiring from my post, I'm not retiring from my job. From tomorrow onwards, I'm stepping down as the Commander of the 3rd Division to Assistant Commander," Deinnelle explained.

" Oh…" Melanie replied, sounding relieved. " And, who will be taking your place?"

" Reinne Malkenthos."

Melanie knew that name well. Reinne Malkenthos was the third child of four children, and the only female, of King Arthras Malkenthos, the Supreme Ruler and Leader of all citizens of Rune-Midgard. Reinne was a High Priestess, although she is only about a few years older than Melanie, if Melanie's memory serves her right.

Melanie could remember the time when Reinne expressed her initial wish to join the army as a priestess. This request did not gain favour with many people, especially most of the royal aristocrats and people from the higher echelons in the palace. It was almost a tradition for the princes of the Royal Family to join the army, but for a princess, it was unheard off. Moreover, the king's sons had already perished in a previous war, and she was the last remaining heir to the throne.

Thus, joining the army placed Reinne at a risk of eliminating the last of the Royal Family's bloodline, which a lot of purists say must be preserved than using other lesser people from the lower families of the Royal branch. King Arthras was too old to bear another child and the Queen had passed away some time ago. Some people in the army figured the princess would be too much of a delicate and weak person to become a proper soldier. However, nobody said another word when King Arthras said yes.

Reinne was to prove every one of them who thought she would be a useless soldier wrong. In fact, according to the church, she was one of the best followers they had ever had. She passed the priestess test with full marks, and she was a remarkable leader, not doubt more on the compassionate and soft side. Melanie had to agree with this choice. They had a better choice in High Priestess Coranis Maralynn, Reinne's mentor, but she insisted she was too old for the army and retired soon after.

Melanie found it amusing that Deinnelle was allowing a younger person, by almost 20 years, to boss her around as an officer of a higher rank. This was rare in the army, where status was of some importance. Melanie could not remember the last time a Division officer actually demote herself from her post because she wanted to. However, Deinnelle and Reinne shared a good relationship: Deinnelle treating Reinne as a daughter to replaced the ones she had lost and Reinne treating Deinnelle as a mother she never had.

" Something wrong?" Deinnelle asked, seeing Melanie's blank expression.

" Uh, no, I think it's a brilliant choice," Melanie replied, regaining her composure.

" You have your reservations?" Deinnelle asked, raising her eyebrows.

" Nonsense!" Melanie rebutted. Deinnelle's mood lifted slightly and Melanie could feel it from the sound of music she was playing.

" So, all this is about telling me you are dropping your rank?" Melanie asked jokingly.

" No. There is something else I need to tell you. I think you deserve a promotion," Deinnelle replied.

Melanie's heart was beating rapidly as Deinnelle spoke those words. She was rather eager to ask what is was but she decided to be patient. Deinnelle paused for a while, before continuing.

" It is from my recommendation to Commander Aesis Crenilia that you become the official commanding officer of the 3rd Squadron of our division. Your probationary rank is now revoked officially. I'm honoured to address you as a official Squadron commander as of now," Deinnelle said.

The Army was made up of 6 Divisions, all commanded by a Division commander and an assistant. The 1st Division was the Assault Division, where there is a large concentration of knights and swordsmen. The 2nd was the magic division. The 3rd was the Secondary Assault Division, but they are mainly made up of soldiers under the Holy Order, like crusaders and priest, who give support alongside the knights in battle. The 4th and 5th Divisions were support divisions while the 6th was a supplementary division, mainly consisting of assassins and rogues or odd and ends working under the army.

All Divisions have and average of 10 Squadrons, with the 1st having 13 and the 6th having only 3. All Squadrons are commanded by a Squadron Commander and an assistant, along with a few other higher officers. The Squadrons are then divided into about 13 Platoons each, each with its own Platoon commander and second-in-command. Currently, Melanie was in-charge of the 3rd Squadron, but she was under probation, or previously under probation as of now.

Melanie felt elated, and she seem to swell slightly due to happiness and pride. " What's my commanding status?" Melanie asked, curious.

" Both you and the assistant commander of the platoon will receive Class 2 clearance," Deinnelle answered, changing songs midway during her sentence. This meant that Melanie and her assistant commander, whoever he or she was, could boss almost all the Squadron commanders up to Class 2, which were the top Squadron commanders of all the divisions, which numbered in about 20 people. Class 10 was the lowest, where they could order anyone who was not a Squadron commander.

" Sounds too good to be true. Who is the assistant commander?" Melanie asked.

" Azaroth Crimson."

" What in Infernal's name...!?" Melanie yelled.

" There is nothing wrong with him. To my knowledge, he is an excellent leader, and an expert in battle tactics, not to mention a skilled and decorated knight," Deinnelle replied, chuckling. Looking at her expression, she continued with " Honey, I was just joking. He's not taking the place as your assistant commander, unless you want it. He's too new to get a promotion, although I figure we will have to hand it to him soon."

Melanie almost gave a sigh of relief. " Then, who is?" she asked.

" Commander Aesis was generous enough to allow you to pick your own assistant commander, whether you want one or not. Take it as a sort of a gift from him saying congratulations on your promotion. You take your pick," Deinnelle replied. " By the way, talking about Azaroth, what's he up to now in the division?"

" I'm giving him the liberty to take command of the 5th platoon in my Squadron, whom he's being very friendly with. He's proved himself quite worthy, and I'm not going to begrudge him of a promotion," Melanie answered. " I'll tell him the good news later."

" When you fight him later in the match?" Deinnelle asked.

" Um, depends..." Melanie said, feeling uneasy.

" Come now, Melanie. It is of my best interest for you to beat me," Deinnelle replied, stopping the music. Getting up, she walked up to her nearby closet and opened it. Melanie saw her took out her refined Claymore, a brilliant looking sword, which seemed to glitter under the sunlight that poured into the room, and her Holy Guard, both custom made by Dirk Quintos, the resident genius and talented blacksmith of the Pronteran army. " Shall we go? Let's not keep the boys waiting."

Melanie merely nodded, trying to smile.

_Writer's note: It was about time I got this up. It probably will not get regular updates yet, since I'm busy with life and I have another fanfic to finish, so it'll be up periodically. _

_ A sequel to my previous fanfic, taking place 2 years after the initial events. _


	2. Chapter 1: Clash of Swords

**Chapter 1: Clash of Swords**

It was this time of the year again, and it had arrived. Each year the Pronteran army would hold a sword fighting contest which was mainly participated by the people of the army, although other irregulars are also eligible to join the contest. The contest was mainly as a form of entertainment for people in the army, although most of the fighters took the fights seriously.

Now, most of the matches were over, leaving the semi-finals. The combat arena was held in a large Colosseum located in the middle of the Army grounds. The whole building spanned 500 meters in diameter, and it could easily house about 1000 people. Most of the seats were now packed with people, ranging from swordsmen, knights from the army, some commoners from the city, a small number of noble people and aristocrats, plus several other people, all of them patiently waiting for the next semi-final match to begin.

" Well, the turn-out is pretty big," Aesis replied as he was seated upon one of the closest stands, leaning back in a casual manner, his feet propped up on a table while he addressed the person next to him.

" Of course, with me being a star attraction..." Azaroth replied, laughing.

" Where did you culture that attitude from?" Aesis asked, raising his eyebrows.

" Man, I was just joking...but really, the next match will be interesting," Azaroth replied, grinning.

" Why? Because you are interested in fighting someone?" Aesis asked.

" Hmm, not really. Either Commander Deinnelle or Commander Melanie will do, but I'd like to see the outcome of the match," Azaroth said, grinning. Of course, now as he was staying in Prontera and being in the army, it was quite 'normal' for him to join the competition, not to mention after being pestered to join by his fellow co-workers, seeing that he was a pretty skilled at using his swords as well.

Azaroth turned to look at Aesis, who was seated casually next to him, wearing his usual black robes that he wrapped around his body most of the time, seated along two large broadswords that he kept by his side. The reason why he even bothered joining the army in the first place was because Aesis wanted to keep him there, due to the circumstances that happened 2 years ago. So, perhaps Aesis had merely struck a friendship with Azaroth just to keep him around. That may be so, but Azaroth liked his company.

Aesis was more of a kid at heart than a real adult, despite being ten years older than Azaroth. It was hard to imagine this was the top commander of the Pronteran army. Aesis liked to drink, joining his men in bars, had little care for some rules and liked to act carefree. He was serious at times, but that was usually in times of stress or crisis, or in short, whenever there was trouble. Thus, those moments were short. Right now, Aesis was cheering in the crowd as if he had no cares in the world.

Aesis didn't participate in this contest, and never did after participating twice. He said it was already known that he was the best swordsman in the entire country, being a Lord Knight and such, and he had told everyone that if he did join the competition, he would beat everyone flat, and with that, it was no fun to watch a competition when the winner has been decided from the beginning. In a way, he was correct. Anyone else who wanted to go up against Aesis to test their skills of the sword might have a better chance taking on an Abysmal knight. Thus, Aesis had only joined the Sword Fighting contest twice, after he beaten everyone flat and never participated since.

The rules of the contest was simple: you are only allowed to use melee weapons, which includes swords, spears, clubs, knives and shields, which was really ironic since it was supposed to be a sword fighting contest. However, this contest had its origins 100 years ago, initially participated by swordsmen, so the initial array of weapons allowed were swords, be it one handed or two. However, various other classes joined much later, and they had to slacken the rules slightly. However, most of the combatants still use swords, with crusaders allowed to equip shields as well. The other rules state that you are not allowed to kill your opponent, just beat them until they cannot fight back. If the second rules was broken, it would mean a torturous session in the dungeons. Nobody has died so far, but the previous 1st division commander was said to have sent an outsider who had attempted to kill one of the participants into the dungeons, kept him there for three days, and then hung him out to dry somewhere, still alive. Nobody dared to attempt anything that silly since then, and Aesis gave a warm promise to everyone he would carry out Tessa's act as well if anyone was stupid enough to try.

" Hmm, is this seat taken?" a gruff voice asked.

Both men turned their heads around to see who had addressed them. They saw a tall, well-built man with a muscular hide to match his large frame. He wore jeans and a white T-shirt, just like most blacksmiths. He smiled warmly at them, his wavy blonde hair swaying slightly in the light squall that blew through the area.

" Hmm...no, Dirk, by all means, take it," Aesis said as the blacksmith sat down. " Well, strange to see you here..."

" What? A guy like me can't come to enjoy a good fight once in a while?" Dirk asked.

" For a pacifist like you, I do think it's strange...or perhaps there is some other reason why you are here," Aesis replied, raising his eyes suggestively.

" So, Azaroth, is it?" Dirk addressed Azaroth. " How have my improvements to your swords been? Found them useful?"

" Quite..." Azaroth said, unsheathing his swords. He had Dirk work on his Tsurugi and Haedonggum before he joined the match, and his had to admit Dirk's refining work was top notch. He had worked his sword to the weight he desired, not to mention sharpening them to a tremendous degree. He had not been able to refine his sword ever since he got them, and now, they look as if they were just newly made. The only downside for refining his sword was that Dirk carves his initials on his pieces of work, just like he did to everything he forged, refined or upgraded, but since he was such a brilliant blacksmith, nobody really complained.

Besides, he was known to beat up people who complained about it anyway.

There was a sudden roar in the crowd, and the three of them turned their attention to the center of the arena. Two heavily armoured figures emerged from the sidelines, stepping up on the large cement arena in the middle of the Colosseum. Azaroth stood up and leaned on the edge of the stand, shouting loudly.

" Melanie, win this match!" Azaroth exclaimed loudly, and rather cheerfully.

Melanie drew out her Cutlus and pointed it at him. " Shut up! Just wait until I beat your ass in the finals!" she yelled.

" Fiesty, commander..." Azaroth remarked.

" Greetings, everyone, to the second semi-final match between our favourite, 12 time champion, with the current record of 4 wins in a row so far, 3rd Division Commander Deinnelle Zelkenia, and our newly promoted Squadron commander of the 3rd Sqaudron from the 3rd Division, Melanie Stryfort. I now want all of you to give a rousing applause to both my commanders!" an acolyte by the name of Soreen shouted out loud, and the respond the crowd gave back was not to be taken lightly.

" Hey...you told her I got promoted?" Melanie asked.

" What's wrong?" Deinnelle asked.

" I hate the attention..." Melanie sighed.

" Eh, she's getting promoted?" Azaroth gasped.

" What's with that expression of yours?" Melanie snarled. Azaroth was seated right in front, and Melanie was quite close enough to hear whatever he said.

" Geez, take things with a pinch of salt alright," Azaroth groaned. " I'm happy for you."

Melanie made a soft noise under her breath. " Yeah, yeah, thanks..." Melanie said. " After I'm done, I'll tell you some good news instead..."

" Eh?"

" Are the contestants ready?!" Soreen shouted, standing by the sides. Melanie and Deinnelle didn't answer. They merely drew their swords and slung their shields on their hands, gripping their weapons tightly. Raising their arms, they braced themselves. The crowd in the Colosseum went quiet, in a manner of respect.

Soreen took out a small needle, which would start the match.

" Beat me, will you? My winning streak is getting too much," Deinnelle replied.

" I'll do my best, Mom," Melanie replied.

Soreen tossed the needle in the middle of them, and it hit the floor with a light clang.

Melanie took a large calculated step forward, and swung her arm in a powerful swing, bringing her sword crashing into Deinnelle's shield, closing the distance between them in an instance with just one step. The clang of metal rang in the air as the sword came into contact with shield. Sparks flew as the metal scrapped against each other.

This was strictly a sword fight, no magic allowed, so neither Melanie or Deinnelle were fighting to their best of their potential since they could not use Holy magic, but it was a intense fight nonetheless.

Deinnelle shoved off Melanie's sword and swung her sword at her. Melanie raised her shield to her face, and then turned her shield at an angle to deflect her strike to the side. Melanie felt the immense impact of the blade hitting her, and even though she managed to veer the hit off course, she felt her hand shook slightly against the impact. Melanie swung around, her sword hitting Deinnelle's as she was intercepted in an uppercut. She broke the lock, just before seeing Deinnelle thrust powerfully at her, hitting her shield squarely and pushing Melanie several centimeters backwards.

They parried for a while, most of the time crashing sword against shield. Both female combatants whipped to and fro, their arms swinging viciously at each other, trying their best to best each other in the fight. Everyone watched as the crusader attempted her best in striking down her master.

Melanie knew this was getting nowhere. In terms of strength and stamina, Deinnelle was still a class above her. Even for a 50 year old lady, her strength in which she had collected and trained over the years was formidable. Deinnelle was know to have crushed a Blood Knight's skull using only her gloved fists before, and if Melanie was going to continued this useless sparing match, she would lose her energy faster than Deinnelle. If she was to beat Deinnelle, it was to use the only advantage she had: speed, basic tactics in fighting a crusader.

The crusader class is mainly trained to take attacks, and play defensively, thus the purpose of the full-plated armour they wore, along with their refined shields, which are used to take blows. A crusader's constitution is not to be taken lightly, since after infusing Holy properties in their bodies, the best crusaders that have trained their mind and body properly can take 3 times the damage it would take to kill a normal person. Simple strikes will not harm Deinnelle, so Melanie will have to play with speed. Being younger gave her more agility as well.

Melanie took a step back, deciding that it was time for some aggressive maneuvers as of now. She placed her step carefully as she swung her hand backward, readying a strike. Deinnelle saw the attack, and she thrust her sword right at Melanie in order to disrupt her attack pattern, intending to throw her off-course. Melanie had already expected the attack, and angled her foot side ways, causing her to slip.

Deinnelle's eyes widened in surprise as her sword missed Melanie's head as she fell down, but then it was a calculated fall. Melanie swung her arms, and smashed her sword against Deinnelle's steel greaves. Deinnelle lost her balance, but regained it immediately by throwing her other feet out, and her shield arm when she dropped. Melanie dropped to the ground hard, but it didn't bother her too much as her armour was well padded to absorb the blow. She rolled once, and aimed for Deinnelle's head.

Deinnelle shifted her head backwards, Melanie's Cutlus smashing into her helm, knocking her down. Down for the count, Melanie twisted her sword, and angled it at Deinnelle, flying forward. However, her sword was greeted by Deinnelle's hand, grabbing the blade in her arm, stopping it easily.

" It's not over..." Deinnelle replied.

Deinnelle twisted the sword around by several degrees, and since Melanie could not let go of the sword, she felt a painful twang in her arm as she attempted to keep her hold of the sword. Deinnelle slammed her fist hard upon Melanie's chest plate. Melanie felt the impact worthy of a sledgehammer slam down on her chest, and she started to cough blood suddenly. Deinnelle grabbed the collar of her pull plate armour, and with a powerful heave, tossed Melanie over her, dropping her several meters away. Melanie landed painfully

" Woah!" Azaroth gasped.

Melanie painfully picked herself up, rubbing the blood off her mouth. Deinnelle was already up, and besides the scratch she suffered on her head, she was quite fine. Melanie got up and raised her weapons. Her chest was still throbbing slightly from the impact she received, but she tried to shrug it off.

" Hey, is the usage of fists allowed?" Azaroth asked.

" Yes, as long as they are not martial arts," Aesis answered.

" Explains why Vermillion never joined this contest..." Azaroth mused.

" Come now, is that all?" Deinnelle laughed.

Melanie rubbed her gloved fists over her mouth, wiping the blood away, spitting out some from her mouth. " Bah, I was just warming up," Melanie exclaimed.

" Looks like Melanie is at a disadvantage," Azaroth replied.

" So it seems, but things may turn..." Dirk replied.

" I thought you were rooting for Deinnelle?" Aesis asked.

" I am..." Dirk answered.

Deinnelle stepped forward, and Melanie attempted to dodge the attack. Deinnelle's sword came whipping around, and Melanie managed to jump aside to avoid the blow. Deinnelle was undeterred, swinging around several times, striking with both her sword and shield. Melanie blocked one of the blows, the shield slamming into her like a wagon, and she skidded backwards.

Deinnelle flung her shield at Melanie. Melanie countered her Shield Boomerang attack with her sword, hitting the shield back. Charging forward without a shield, Deinnelle whipped her sword around with expert precision, striking multiple blows with Melanie. Ignoring the attacks, Melanie leaped backwards, suffering several hits to her side in order to gain some breathing space. Deinnelle kicked up her shield and equipped it once more as Melanie charged at her.

Pushing her shield forward, she used it as a battering ram. Deinnelle was ready for that, and raised her shield in order to return the attack. However, at the last second, Melanie shifted her weight to the left, and slammed into Deinnelle at an angle, pushing her shield aside. She then threw her sword arm up, which which Deinnelle managed to deflect by thrusting her sword at the blade, hitting it aside by the tip of her blade. Melanie pulled her head back as the sword changed direction all of a sudden, slicing her cheeks slightly.

Deinnelle suddenly pushed her back, but Melanie threw her shield arm upwards, pushing Deinnelle's arm upwards, throwing the momentum away. Dropping her stance, she then attempted to thrust her sword upon Deinnelle's gut. Deinnelle brought her arm swinging back up. The swords hit each other at such speeds that a bright spark was emitted. Melanie dropped her arm and swung it back up to build up momentum for the strike. Their swords crashed twice, then they backed off when they swung their shields at each other, Melanie executing a roll, before stopping several feet away, kneeling with one knee to the ground.

Melanie stared hard at Deinnelle, feeling the blood trickling down her cheeks. She then proceeded to lick the blood off with her tongue, grinning in a slightly maniacal manner.

" Did she pick up that bad habit from Vermillion?!" Azaroth exclaimed.

" Hey, she's not called the Avatar of War for nothing, you know," Aesis remarked.

" I thought the Avatar of War was more suited for Vermillion...or perhaps Grimjaw..." Azaroth replied.

" Not really...they are more like the Avatars of Fear and Death, respectively," Aesis replied.

" Point well taken," Azaroth replied.

" Damn, I can't lose to an old lady, not when she's not even using her full power," Melanie gasped.

" Old? I'm far from old..." Deinnelle said chuckling, whipping her long marine blue hair around with the flick of her head. Melanie looked sadly at her hair, which was now lined with even more white streaks than a couple of months ago. She was getting old, alright, and Melanie felt sad at the thought. But she composed herself and raised her arm, ready for another parry.

It was her desire to defeat her teacher. She was still far beyond Deinnelle's level in terms of experience and Holy powers, but this was just a mere sword fight. If she could just best her in this match, it would be well worth it, and nothing would make Deinnelle more proud knowing that at least, her student had surpassed her master. It wasn't a desire now, it was a burning desire.

" Here I come!" Melanie exclaimed. Her throbbing in her chest had already calmed down, and she was ready for another round. Giving a guttural warcry, she leaped forward, her arms raised once more. Her steps were heavy as she charged forward, brandishing her sword dangerously.

She whipped dangerously around Deinnelle, using quick footwork and reflexes to her advantage, sidestepping around Deinnelle. Deinelle's eyes flicked around, seeing Melanie appear somewhere to her back. She swung around, but Melanie easily dodged the attack, flinging herself sideways as she struck. The sword merely scrapped the armour Deinnelle was wearing, scratching it slightly. Deinnelle spun around to build momentum, and slung her shield downwards to smash upon Melanie.

Melanie's arm shot up to block the shield, and she deflected the blow as she fell, pushing herself back to avoid getting smashed. Deinnelle's shield slammed hard upon the ground, cracking the cement floor in places. She continued by whipping her sword downwards. Melanie raised her sword just as the sword came down, crashing hard upon her. Melanie grunted as she braced against the impact. Deinnelle then slammed her shield downwards once more, all their arms occupied in trying to resist each other.

Melanie tried to resist the oppressive strength Deinnelle was giving her. The crowd was on the edge as Deinnelle pinned Melanie painfully on the ground, pressing even harder. Melanie knew she had to break free, for Deinnelle had enough strength to crush her easily, but escaping would not be easy, since she would have to avoid being crushed when she made her move.

She spotted Deinnelle nudged her wrist forward, and she saw her change. Roaring loudly, she twisted the angle of her shield backwards, resisting the oppressive strength and Deinnelle's sword slipped, stabbing down, an inch away from her face. She then angled her body to the side, and slid a few centimeters beneath Deinnelle, as far as she could reach. Positioning herself in a better situation, she lifted Deinnelle with all her strength, using her right leg for leverage as well, pushing her off. Deinnelle felt herself being lifted off, and the leaped off before she lost her balance. Landing perfectly on the ground with her two feet, she changed her stance and ran towards Melanie as she was in the process of getting up.

Grunting loudly, Melanie brought herself to her feet, and ran forward. Both fighters whipped their weapons around, crashing loudly against each other. Melanie was getting tired already. Deinnelle was continuously pushing her backwards, and she felt her strength fading. Deinnelle was pushing the advantage now after Melanie lost her chance a couple of times. Melanie kept stepping back with each strike Deinnelle dished out on her, her tremendous blows causing her hands to tremble in pain. Melanie was getting very dizzy with all the sword strikes they were striking.

_I want to win..._

_Why?_

_Because I want to..._

_Why? Why is there a need?_

_Because I need to..._

_What is there to prove?_

_To prove to my master that...that..._

_That?_

" That I am worthy!" Melanie yelled loudly at the top of her lungs.

Deinnelle was taken aback by Melanie's sudden exclamation. Melanie, now fueled by her passion, struck back, swinging her sword wildly. Deinnelle felt Melanie crash her sword painfully against hers, pushing her back. Melanie decided to put her all in the last attack, a do or die attempt.

Melanie collected her strength in her arm. She could care less if the strain would crack the bones in her arm. She just needed this strike to be effective. She swung around, not before feeling something hard hit her head.

Melanie backed up clutching her head in pain. She felt hazy all of a sudden, as if a very powerful headache had just caught up with her. Blood started to pour all over her face, and she wasn't too sure what exactly hit her, but if that would have been a blade, she would have been in serious trouble. She tried to peer through the bloody veil that covered her face.

It was a sight she didn't expect. Deinnelle stood in the middle of the arena, looking rather dazed, and she had all the reason in the world to be. She had been disarmed, her sword and shield lying several feet away from her. She was bleeding pretty badly on her arms, and it seemed that her steel gloves had sustained quite some amount of damage, and she was bleeding pretty badly. Melanie wondered how she managed to dent her gloves to such a degree when she then looked down on her sword, and gasped in amazement.

The blade had been chipped away, as if and the edge was now like some sort of saw, with bits and pieces falling of and cracks and dents on her sword. Melanie could not believe it herself. Had she managed to swing with so much power she could even break her sword, a sword made by Dirk Quintos? She looked up at Deinnelle, who looked about as surprised as she was.

_What…did I just do?_ She asked herself.

The crowd held their breath. And then, slowly, a rousing applause rose within the stands, gradually growing louder and louder until Melanie felt that it could not get any louder. Melanie could see tears falling from Deinnelle's face, but they were not tears of sadness, but rather tears of joy. It made Melanie feel awkward. Deinnelle sighed loudly, looking at her arms then said " I can't continue like this. I admit defeat."

" What an unexpected turn of events! The winner for the second semi-final match is Melanie Styrfort! Everyone give her a round of applause!" Soreen screamed from the announcement stand, although her last sentence was of no point since everyone was already applauding at that point. Azaroth was the first to leap off his seat, and she was vaguely aware of someone hugging her tightly around the neck.

" Hahahahah...oh God, I can't believe it...I'm so proud of you, my love," Deinnelle sobbed as she cried happily as she hugged Melanie tightly. Melanie felt very awkward now. Although she had beaten her commanding officer, mentor and someone close enough to be considered her mother, she felt very weird standing in the middle of the arena with Deinnelle swooning all over her, moreover covering her with her own bloodstained hands.

" Um, Deinnelle...I didn't hit your head, did I?" Melanie asked tentatively.

" What are you talking about?! I'm so glad you beat me," Deinnelle replied in the most affectionate way.

" You wanted to lose?" Melanie asked.

" No silly, but don't you know what this means...?" Deinnelle asked.

" I beat you..."

" Oh my, I love you so much, you've grown tremendously!" Deinnelle said, kissing Melanie affectionately on her cheek. " My daughter has grown up to be such a fine woman...I can rest easy now knowing I've raised such a fine daughter. How I've waited for this day."

There was now a crowd around the place, and everyone was cheering loudly all around her until the noise was deafening. Melanie looked around, wondering if she had really won. Several troops from her division all came up, patting her happily on her back.

" Alright, I knew you always had it in you!" Flick exclaimed.

" Oh really? And you are quite happy even though you are loosing your bet?" Camelia asked.

" Hell yeah, Melanie! That was freaking awesome! I get to face you in the finals now!" Azaroth exclaimed, bouncing on his feet.

" Future Division Commander!" someone else yelled.

Melanie felt herself being lifted up by someone, and she saw Commander Aesis lifted her up and placing her on his shoulder. " Horray for our Avatar of War!" he yelled. Melanie blushed at the comment, but the rest of them started cheering loudly.

" Are you alright?" Deinnelle heard someone ask softly. She turned around to see Dirk approaching her, checking her hand with his.

" My, it's nothing...the acolytes will fix this up promptly..."

All of a sudden, there was a horrible yelled in the crowd, more like a screeching roar of an enraged beast. Everyone froze, some of the knights moving their hands to their swords, wondering what abomination had somehow entered the place. Azaroth immediately spotted the source of the noise. Vermillion stood by the entrance of the Colosseum, panting heavily, donning her usual monk attire.

" Sorry, couldn't think of a better way to attract all your attention..." she gasped. " Just thought I'd let you all know Selene is now in the infirmary, half-dead, and she needs to speak with any damned Division commander available."


	3. Chapter 2: The Wounded Priestess

**Chapter 2: The Wounded Priestess**

Melanie victory over Deinnelle was quickly forgotten when Vermillion said those words. There were hushed whispers within the crowd as they started to talk amongst each other, discussing what had happened. Her mind went blank for a second, before her senses returned to her as she leaped off the arena and ran up towards Vermillion.

" Where is she?! What the hell happened?!" Melanie yelled.

Vermillion looked at her with a raised eyebrow. Despite being her superior, both in the army and the Holy Order, it was quite well-known that Melanie and Vermillion didn't go well together, as if they were like oil and water. Azaroth could see Vermillion trying to resist giving some witty remark at the moment, because after hearing what had happened to Selene, she might just beat her despite whatever she said.

Thankfully, Vermillion had enough sense, which was sometimes surprising, to not further comment and turned around to lead them towards the infirmary. Azaroth squeezed through the crowd to follow his commander, and Aesis decided to tag along as well after saying " Tend to Deinnelle now, and clear the mess here," before running along to check on what had happened.

The infirmary was located near the church grounds, a large square shaped building which looked more like an oversized brick someone plopped in the middle of the city. Azaroth decided that Pronteran architects had no sense in basic architecture after staying in Prontera for some time now, since besides a few notable buildings, like the church and the main castle where the Royal family resided in, the rest of the architecture was bland, or just too normal. The only thing that had Prontera going for architecture sake was its humongous size.

Vermillion barged in the main doors like some bull, throwing aside two wooden doors, scaring everyone in the vicinity. Everyone else was then further terrified when they saw Melanie enter the door, radiating some sort of fury of sorts, about to explode anytime soon. Closely following them were Azaroth and Aesis, and most of the nurses and priests in the area wondered what this was all about.

Vermillion stormed through to the back of the infirmary, and Melanie's heart sank. The room in the further back were for emergency treatments, and if Vermillion was heading there, then something really serious had happened. Vermillion turned around a corner, only to skid to a halt. The rest of them could clearly see why.

Commander Reinne stood by the corridor outside one of the treatment rooms, and she seemed to be cleaning her slightly bloodstained hands. Melanie's eyes widened in shock when she saw that, and she felt speechless.

" Relax, Captain Selene's fine. Her Majesty Princess Reinne has tended to her, and she had just been transferred to the upper wards where she will be recouperating for the moment. No need to worry, she'll make a full recovery," said a familiar voice in a rather tense and nervous manner. The four of them turned around to face Teranis, Selene's alchemist friend, who they didn't noticed before as she was leaning on the furthest wall to their right.

" Thank God…" Melanie sighed loudly, breathing a sigh of relief. She dropped herself by a wall, falling to the ground, taking deep breaths to calm herself. Azaroth and Aesis breathed sighs of relief as well, although Vermillion decided to now crack a sarcastic joke as Azaroth heard her mutter '…Pity…' under her breath, careful to keep her words away from Melanie.

" Just what the hell happened?" Azaroth asked.

" Hold it, you are all not going to see her," Reinne replied.

" But wait, she said she had something to tell us, and that she needed to see someone…" Melanie started.

" Selene's well-being shall be under my jurisdiction, and under no circumstances shall any of you, nor anyone else for that matter, see her in the ward unless I see fit. Now, you will all sit tight, and I'll inform you when she's able to talk," Reinne replied harshly. Nobody argued with her, not even Aesis, who looked around sheepishly.

" Why did she return like that? What happened?" Azaroth asked.

" No idea. I was taking a nice long soak in my bath when my maid came running in yelling that some priestess had somehow warped herself into the middle of my room, all bleeding and injured. When I came out, I saw Selene barely alive, bleeding on my carpet and suffering burns all over her body. I quickly administrated some potions and then warped here in an instant," Teranis explained.

" Warped? How did you…oh," Azaroth replied seeing Tenaris hold up a Butterfly wing in her hand.

" Selene was in command of following a number of acolytes on a trip somewhere north. It's sort of like training for the acolytes, and she was to oversee some of them. I had issued a small platoon of army irregulars to escort them there, a total of 16 acolytes, 5 swordsmen, 3 mages, and 1 archer. From the looks of it, it seems that they were attacked, and she somehow made it back alive," Reinne answered, tossing the bloodied cloth she used to clean her hands aside in a bin nearby.

" Wait, no one else made it back?" Melanie asked, sounding surprised.

" I know what you are thinking. Selene is hardly the one to escape an attack, especially when she had acolytes in tow. It is more in her nature to warp them else where before she escaped herself. Returning alone would make me assume the worst," Reinne answered. The 'worst' meaning no one else survived.

" What? She could have warped them somewhere else," Azaroth suggested.

" But somehow we have yet to hear from them. Selene's not that dumb of a priestess to warp a bunch of acolytes to some unknown destination. She would have sent them somewhere where we could fetch them, or near a city where they can contact us. It has been 6 hours since she warped into Teranis's house. If there were any survivors…they should have contacted or informed us by now…" Reinne said sadly.

" What if one of the acolytes opened a warp portal instead of Selene herself?" Aesis suggested.

" What?" Vermillion exclaimed asked.

" Perhaps the acolytes knew how to open a warp portal themselves," Teranis replied.

Reinne pondered upon the thought for a second, frowning. " Well, it would make sense. Meillienne recently mastered the use of the warp portal, and if there is any acolytes among the group which was with Selene who can open a warp portal, it would be her," she said.

" What the hell?! Meillienne was with her!?" Azaroth exclaimed loudly in surprise. Azaroth was suddenly reminded of the young sweet girl that came by his barrack room, half the time with a cake she baked in a basket to keep him company during his stay in Prontera. He was suddenly riddled with fear and guilt all of a sudden, hearing that she might be dead.

" Ill's going to have a fit," Vermillion muttered.

" Ill?" Teranis asked.

" Grimjaw…you know him," Vermillion scowled.

" Ill?" Teranis repeated again.

" It's a short form of his 'real' name," Vermillion answered.

" Meillienne only knows one point where she can open a warp portal, which is somewhere north in the Canning forest. I'll issue a platoon out to look for them, if they made it there," Reinne answered, stepping up and walking away. " I'll inform you when Selene's able to speak. I advice the rest of you to go back and get some rest."

As Reinne walked off, the rest of them stood there, pondering upon the events that were happening right now.

-

" You look stressed," Melanie said as she walked back to their barracks with Azaroth and Vermillion. Teranis had decided to stay in a nearby inn, close to the infirmary so that she could check on Selene once in a while. Aesis left to deal with other things, and the three of them walked back silently to the barracks.

" Is it that obvious?" Azaroth asked.

" If it's obvious enough for me to see it, then it should be obvious enough for everyone to see it," Vermillion replied.

" Is she someone important to you?" Melanie asked.

" Yes…I suppose she is…" Azaroth replied, sighing. Melanie knew that he was trying his best not to sound too depressed. " Relax, I'm confident in her survival abilities. She's probably somewhere in the middle of Canning forest."

" Hell yeah, nobody can take our good old Meillienne down!" Vermillion exclaimed enthusiastically. Melanie and Azaroth always found it weird that a person such as Vermillion would even take interest in a girl like Meillienne. It was strange indeed.

Vermillion was, not in a particular sense, sociable. Indeed, she was acquainted to Azaroth, Tryzen, and the rest of them in general, but even though she might treat them as friends, she still never shed that tomboyish, rough exterior she always showed everyone, talking in a rude loud voice, behaving much more like an urchin than a lady, a total polar opposite of what one might want to find in a female. Yet, she had this strange friendship with Meillienne that nobody could even explain, not even Azaroth, who knew her the longest.

She was gentle with Meilleinne whenever they meet, although gentle might be an understatement at best. Azaroth had spotted her keeping Meillienne company, which was a rare sight since Vermillion never really gave a damn about keeping people company, and not only that, even bothered playing with her once in a while, something that struck Azaroth, and the rest of them, as pretty scary. Meillienne was the only one who could make Vermillion give a genuine smile, not the usually sarcastic, maniacal grins she showed most of the time, but an honest, gentle smile, almost as if it was a smile only a person of Selene's character might produce. This also applied to Grimjaw, and Azaroth always wondered how she worked her magic.

Despite being rather disturbing to see Vermillion smile like this, Azaroth was actually quite relieved that Meillienne could exert such a change on Vermillion, even to an extent of making her a different person. Azaroth wondered if this was one way for Vermillion to overcome Serene's death. He knew that the elf's death had affected her greatly, although he was not sure of their strong relationship before. It was indeed strange to see Vermillion form attachments that were so strong, and Azaroth usually figured she didn't really bother about it anyway.

What Vermillion stated before was true. He had not visited Serene's grave in a while, possibly close to a year already. Vermillion visited her grave without fail each week since her death, and she didn't show any signs of slowing down her visits anytime soon. Azaroth wondered if he was being selfish for not visiting a dead friend.

Her kiss had haunted him in his dreams for nights.

He thought that Vermillion's affection to this young girl was merely a way to burn away the pain, but Azaroth never asked whether it was true or not, since knowing her nature she might just beat him up for asking. Meillienne's arrival was indeed some sort of blessing to all of them, as she was able to cheer everyone up using her charm, which usually consisted mostly of a smile. Azaroth wondered what Vermillion's head was going through now after hearing that something might have befallen Meillienne.

" Geez, this is really troublesome…call me when that lady wakes up," Vermillion said, leaving. Melanie was still a little too shocked to be bothered that Vermillion had addressed Selene in such a carefree manner, and thus had taken no action against her. Azaroth and Melanie walked along the streets quietly, their barracks not too far away.

" Azaroth…" Melanie started.

" I'm fine, really…" Azaroth replied quietly.

" That wasn't what I wanted to talk about," she replied. Azaroth stopped walking for a while, looking at her, wondering what was up.

" Oh, then what about?" Azaroth asked.

" The match between me and Deinnelle…how did I win?" she asked.

It had indeed been bothering her for some time now. She somehow had no recollection of what exactly happened during the final moments of the match, and it was now bugging her slightly. As much as she was excited in beating her master, it still scared her slightly that she somehow had no idea how she won, not to mention that weird thoughts she had in her head, as if she spoke to herself. She looked at Azaroth, who was looking at her in a slightly quizzical fashion. She then wondered why she even bothered confiding in him in such a matter anyway.

" Did the impact from the shield flying off Commander Deinnelle's hand and hitting your head give you slight memory loss?" he asked. He made an emphasis on using the word 'Commander', even though Melanie didn't bother using it most of the time.

" Perhaps…" Melanie replied, chuckling. _That would explain the impact I felt on my head during the final moments in the match…I didn't know that as well…_she thought.

_Something fishy is up…Melanie never chuckles…_Azaroth thought.

" Well, Commander Deinnelle was narrowing you to a corner, when all of a sudden, you sort of yelled out loudly that you needed to win, or something along the lines, then started to strike furiously back. You then did a quick swing, bashing the Comander's sword out from her hands, and then crashed your sword painfully three times on her shield before she lost her grip and it was sent flying, hitting you in the face and forcing you to reel backwards," Azaroth said casually.

" Really?" Melanie asked. _I only remember striking back once…_

" Yeah…"

" What do you mean when you said 'crashed your sword painfully'?"

" Well, from the amount of force you applied, Commander Deinnelle was wincing in pain from your blows, and surely, from those impacts you made that could even damage your sword, I can only imagine that your hands must be painful now," Azaroth answered.

Melanie was not sure how her hand felt. It sure wasn't painful, that's for sure. She gripped her sword hand over and over, finding nothing wrong.

" You alright? You should get a check-up. Going up against Deinnelle itself is a feat. Don't push yourself," Azaroth replied.

" I'm fine," Melanie answered.

" Really? I should still…"

" Why the hell are you bothering me? Think you know me better? I'm fine, damn it, and I don't need your concern," Melanie snapped back. She could have sworn that Azaroth gave her a quick smile, but she wasn't too sure about that.

Azaroth felt glad, hearing her revert back to her original tone and voice, the tough cookie she always is. If that was so, he didn't need to worry about a thing.

" Well, I'm just your lowly subordinate being concerned of your well-being, Commander. It seems that my concern is of no use, so I will leave you alone as of now. Sorry to bother you," Azaroth replied in a light, mocking tone, grinning as he waved his hand and walked away.

Melanie frowned. She hated it when he spoke like that, as if she was some kind of child who could not look after herself, but some part of her felt grateful he was at least concerned about her. She had spent most of her childhood alone, parentless, found in the middle of a drain, and thus, had adopted a ingrained thinking that she should only stand up for herself. Melanie rarely bothered with her subordinates concerns about her, probably because she hated it somehow. But then again, she wasn't being very fair to them, and it was strangely ironic because she was talking to the man whom she once attempted to prosecute once.

" Oi, wait up, I have something to tell you!" Melanie called out after him.

-

Azaroth's barrack room was unlike the rest of the soldiers. Most of them were given a basic room: a roughly 30 by 30 meter room with a small kitchenette for cooking with the living room, dining room and bedroom all combined into one. Toilets and bathrooms were shared outside, be it segregated bathrooms or mixed ones. Married soldiers were giving larger living quarters, especially the ones with children as well. Since Azaroth was single, he had one room all to himself. Melanie had a larger, much more elegant and well furnished room upstairs due to her rank.

Most of the soldier's rooms were quite simple, after all, there was nothing much they could keep or afford, not to say that they were underpaid, but there was no need for that. Some of the richer soldiers, who had either gone into other businesses as well or those who had saved enough money, bought larger houses outside the barracks. However, the room he was having was given to him for free, and Azaroth felt it was much more comfortable than his original hut back in his old village.

However, unlike most rooms, Azaroth's room was stacked to the brim with all the things he took from his old hut, which included metal pots and pans, props, wooden and clay equipments and stoves, his old straw bed, his old furniture and even including all the wood that was used to build his old hut, which he used as firewood now. He had even made a small plot in his room where he grew vegetables, and there were several cabbages and beans growing about in the specific 'garden' corner of the room. Melanie shook her head when she saw it. Apparently, some things were hard to change.

" So, which platoon am I taking care of?" Azaroth asked as he placed a cup of tea which he had made for Melanie to drink.

" The 5th platoon of my squadron. You'll still be under me," Melanie replied, taking the cup with one hand and drinking the tea, not bothering about the heat. _Pity…_Azaroh thought cynically, although he was careful to not say it out loud. He then noticed that her eyes were roving all around his room, with an appraising look at her surroundings. She had seen his room countless times, but this was the first time she came in and stayed for more than 5 minutes.

" Why plant vegetables?" she asked all of a sudden. Azaroth raised his eyebrows. _Is she talking to me just to make me feel better, or is she just curious?_

" Because I can…" Azaroth replied.

" Apt answer…" Melanie muttered under her breath.

" I don't know…a bad habit, I guess, but hey, nothing better than making soup from the food you grow," Azaroth said, sitting back on a wooden chair and stretching his legs out on a short coffee table.

" I wouldn't know…" Melanie replied.

" What? You don't cook?" Azaroth asked.

" Rarely, and my dishes never taste good. I eat out most of the time," Melanie admitted.

" Hey, nothing wrong with cooking your own food, and with a little training, you can actually do wonders. Not to mention you are a woman after all," Azaroth said. His ears caught the sound of something cracking and his eyes shot towards the side where Melanie held her cup. His clay cup now had a nice crack on the exterior.

" Was that some sexist remark?" Melanie asked, scowling.

" Perhaps…" Azaroth replied, smirking.

" Tch, you're just more domesticated than I am," Melanie replied.

" Ooh, really?" Azaroth replied in a teasing voice. " Well, fancy this, sipping tea with my Squadron commander, and here she is, telling me she doesn't know how to cook." Melanie could feel her vein popping at the comment he made, but made no effort to say anything about it.

" Look that was just a joke. We joke all the time. The problem with you is you can't seem to take a joke well enough. Lighten up, loosen up, go out and have fun once in a while. It's kinda depressing to see you stuck in your room most of the time, not socializing with the rest of us...alright, you drink a lot in the taverns and bars, but you do it alone most of the time. I mean, look at Commander Aesis, or Commander Reinne for example," Azaroth replied.

" Yeah, I bet you do a lot of socializing," Melanie answered sarcastically, finishing her drink.

" For God sake, just go out there and…"

" Not another word!" Melanie warned, knowing very well what he was about to say. Azaroth kept quiet, but he had this mischievous grin on his face. She was about to say something else when there was a soft knock on the door. Melanie almost jumped with a start. " Who's that?" she asked, not knowing that Azaroth might be expecting visitors at this moment.

" I'm not sure," Azaroth said, getting up and heading towards the door. " Listen, nobody's going to get any ideas about you sitting her in my room, alright? It's just…Selene?!"

The priestess was leaning on the side of Azaroth's door, and he spotted her weak body propped along the side of his door's frame. She looked weak and tired, and from the rate of her breathing, she shouldn't be in any position to be moving about. Azaroth caught her immediately when he saw her, and with Melanie's help, moved her to his bed where they placed her down gently.

" Good God, Selene…what are you doing here?" Melanie asked.

" I…I need to tell you all something…" she gasped. She smiled weakly as she saw Melanie's look of concern over her. " Please…listen…"


	4. Chapter 3: Skirmish

**Chapter 3: Skirmish**

Selene Mayfly looked up into the sky, shielding her eyes with her hand from the harsh rays of the sun as it beat down upon her body. She felt her body sweating profoundly, and her priestess uniform which wrapped around her body did not help matters. She sighed to herself and looked at the rest of her small troop.

They had found a nearby lake and decided to stop here for some rest. Most of them were resting under the nearby trees surrounding the forest they were in, enjoying the warm sun and the gentle breeze around the area. The acolytes were, as usual, talking excitedly to one another, as if this was some sort of picnic trip. Selene honestly couldn't blame them. Most of them were in their teens, and it was only natural for them to act slack, undisciplined and playful, as all teens should act, not to mention they were far from more severe, overbearing eyes of the elders of the church, and they knew Selene wouldn't really mind that much. _Perhaps I'm being taken advantage off…_she thought to herself, smiling

Selene was leading an excursion of young acolytes for them to gain some experience for their training. They had been traveling for some time now in the Canning forest, a large area of forest right north of Prontera. She had taken these kinds of trips multiple times with other acolytes as well. Today should be no different, just like every time.

It was now sometime in the afternoon, and they had walked by several villages before making a short stop here. Selene watched the small platoon of soldiers, who were dispatched to guard the young acolytes just in case anything happened, were filling up their canteens with the water from the lake, after half depleting them during the trip here. They also opened some of their food packs, and were sharing it among the acolytes.

She wondered how her friend Melanie would be faring as of now. If she wasn't mistaken, she should have a match between her division commander as of now in that fighting contest. Selene didn't find a fighting contest to be anything interesting, but her friend was serious about it, so she always kept her tongue and attended most of her matches. She felt guilty for not being able to attend, but she knew Melanie wouldn't be that fussy when she knew she had other things to take care of right now.

She looked at the small group of acolytes resting and playfully joking around. Another who was supposed to keep watch had actually joined her friends who had found a small, thorny lizard rather amusing. She did not mind having fun once in a while, but she needed to warn them that they were here for training, not some fun road trip.

" Agris, aren't you supposed to keep watch?" Selene exclaimed in a harsh yet mocking tone.

" But, 'Sister'…"

" Flattery will get you nowhere. Back to your post," Selene said, pointing her finger to where she was supposed to be. Pouting slightly, the young girl returned to her post to keep an eye on their surroundings. She hated to do this. It wasn't in her nature to boss young kids around in such a fashion, but then again, this was training for them, and despite the fact that made her sound like she was some kind of commander in the army, just like Melanie. The thought of her friend suddenly made her chuckle.

Selene was affectionately known as 'Sister' by whoever she deemed was close enough to her. Certainly, she was just a regular priest by profession, but her amicable and friendly nature made it possible for her to get along with almost everyone. Secondly, whoever who called her 'Sister' was always younger than her. At an age of 31, she was older than most people she knew.

" Come on, give them a break," a swordsman by the name of Cradial laughed.

" Look, this is a training mission. We are not here to have fun. And don't you there try to lecture me on loosening up cause I know how to," Selene replied sharply. Cradial and a few other swordsmen and mages, who where there mainly to protect the young acolytes just in case anything serious happened, started laughing at her. The lone archer who had tagged along was sitting on top of one of the branches of the trees, keeping quiet.

Selene was about to issue out orders to move out when all of them heard a loud scream coming from her right. Selene spun around to see Agris running back to them, her face weak and drained. There were three arrows sticking out of her chest, red spots starting to form on her uniform where she was hit.

" Agris, no!" Selene screamed.

Almost instantly, arrows started to rain in all directions. The swordsmen and mages got up instantly to engage with the threat, but since they were not heavily armoured and they only brought light weapons with them, there were no match for arrows. Selene clasped her hands together, saying a prayer. She set up a safety wall of Holy energy to shield everyone from the shots, but they were coming in all directions for her shield to be of any use.

A number of swordsmen and thieves popped up from all around the trees surrounding them and rushed for the group. Selene had heard that sinister groups actually kidnap acolytes and sell them off as slaves in the black markets of Morroc, but something else changed her mind about this group's action. Upon crossing two acolytes in their way, they pierced them instantly with their blades. They continued to move forward after they had soaked the forest floor with crimson blood.

_They are not here for the acolytes, they are just here to kill us all,_ Selene thought.

" Everyone, get into defensive positions. Cradial, get your platoon and engage them to buy some time!" Selene ordered, another spell ready in her hands. Cradial nodded, and with a wave of his sword, charged forward with a small group of swordsmen and mages to fight off the on-coming swarm.

Selene looked around to see that she was seriously out-numbered. They were already outnumbered 3 to 1, and there was a second group of attackers coming from the rear. The acolytes were not battle worthy, and leaving them around will be suicide. Saving the acolytes would have to be top priority. The only ones among them who was capable of fighting was Alreen and Caris, who were part of the army. Both of them had already engaged the enemy, circling around their more defenseless peers, their clubs and morning stars out respectively.

" Meillienne," Selene said, finding one of her acolyte students. The young girl looked up to her mentor, frightened but not really showing it. Her time in Morroc had probably hardened her resolve and nerves, and she was quite calm despite the carnage that was going on all around her

" Open up warp portals," Selene ordered.

" What?"

" Meillienne, you are the only acolyte here who can open up warp portals among the rest of them, and only you can open enough to get them all out of here," Selene said. An arrow whizzed past her head, nearly hitting her. " I know this is scary, but you have to help me here."

Before Meillienne could even agree with her, Selene left her and headed towards the attackers, not even bothering to cast a support or defensive spell for some protection. A thief moved forward to engage her. To his utmost surprise, she grabbed his blade by the hilt perfectly with her bare hands, halting it from reaching her chest.

With a surge of anger, she channeled an amount of Holy power to her hand and slammed it upon her enemy's chest. The force exploded, blowing the man away. He flew backwards and landed upon the ground, dead.

The attackers were rather surprise to see this aggressive priest, and Selene would have agreed to that. Most priests would usually hold back and only support their comrades in battle, but not Selene. She was more attracted to smashing into enemy formations headfirst, regardless of the situation. Besides, in such a precarious situation with acolytes to protect, there was no time to hold back.

A swordsman came at her, swinging his sword that was slightly too heavy for him clumsily towards her direction. She did a sidestep, then cuffed him hard on the back. A thief tried to catch her from behind when she was occupied, but she beat him to the draw as she fired a burst of Holy Light in his direction.

Their enemies seem to pop up like mushrooms from all over the place. Cradial and his platoon were being overwhelmed, and unfortunately Selene was unable to find him in the heat of the fight.

Meillienne was doing her best to open up as many warp portals as she could muster. A spot of bright light started flaring up from the ground, lighting up a pillar of bright, white light. Along with another acolyte, she tried to get the rest of her friends into the warp portal, as they were too stunned by the attack to react. A few of them tried to hold their ground against their enemies, but they were quickly cut down where they stood with no suitable weapons or fighting techniques.

" Come on, you bastards," Selene screamed, lunging forwards to attack, knocking a thief aside from slashing a young female acolyte.

" That's very unsightly for a priestess, I must say," a cold, menacing voice said.

Selene spun around to see who had spoken to her. The man who walked up to her was a wizard, and a commanding one at that. He stood almost a foot above her, his dark brown eyes looked like it was sunken into their sockets. There was this unkempt look about him, like he had not taken a shower in months.

" Treiken Varosious," Selene gasped.

Treiken Varosious was a well known criminal, especially among the wizardry community. He was exiled after trying to lead a coup to assassinate the Elders of Geffen and take over the city by force. He is a wanted criminal and was said to be hiding in Morroc. Selene felt her mind go blank as she saw him. _What is in the world is he doing here, leading a band of cut-throats to slaughter a number of acolytes?_

Selene did not get to think about it long. Treiken raised his arms in an attacking stance, his palms cracking with lightning energy. Before she could react, she felt bolt after bolt of lighting hit her. There was the sudden rush of pain that shot through her body, followed quickly by a numbing sensation. She was unable to defend herself in time against his attack and felt the full blow of it hit her painfully.

A swordsman had moved in and slammed his short sword upon her shoulder, piercing her flesh. Screaming in pain, she slammed her fist hard in his face causing him to reel backwards with his weapon. She placed her hand on her wound, healing her injury before she lost too much blood. The wound closed up as she flowed her magic through her, but her vision was getting hazy nonetheless. Holy powers were able to heal wounds, but to recover from blood loss must be by recouperating for some time. Unable to fight, she staggered backwards towards what was left of the group.

The attackers had ceased their attacks now, surrounding what was left of the group in a circle. Selene looked around to calculate the damage that they had inflicted. Cradial and his entire platoon had been cut down, lying dead on the ground. Meillienne had managed to get about 8 of the acolytes to safety by teleporting them away. The other 6 lay dead in the sand. The only ones still alive from the group was her, Meillienne and another acolyte by the name of Caris Fang.

Treiken walked up in front of Selene and gave her a satisfied, wicked smile, probably contemplating his kill. Selene was too beat up to even bother fighting back. She still felt that she had some energy left in her, but she would be unable to concentrate well enough to cast a spell correctly in her weakened state.

Before Treiken could say anything, Selene felt one of her acolytes walk up behind her boldly. " Are you going to kill us now?" Meillienne asked bravely.

Treiken turned his head and looked at her amusingly. " What for, my dear, when you are what we are trying to obtain," he replied. Selene could feel her student go rigid in fear after hearing his reply. She had heard enough. She decided if they were here just to 'collect' Meillienne, they would not obtain her.

However, before she could react, an arrow whizzed past her head all of a sudden, and it struck one of the thieves squarely in the head. All of them watched in slight surprise as the man fell over, dead with an arrow sticking out of his forehead. Another arrow whizzed past her, but this time Treiken fired a lightning bolt to intercept it mid-way, blasting the silver-tipped arrow to bits with his blast.

The acolytes started to scream all of a sudden, and Selene spun around, only to see a very large Iris slithering right up behind her. The large Isis barged through the crowd, tossing a helpless guy away using both her hands, sending him crashing into a tree. The large monster slid up towards the two acolytes, but apparently decided to ignore them and headed up to Selene. With one swift movement, she had Selene up in her hands and slung over her massive shoulders.

" Right, we need to …YEOW!" the Isis yelled all of a sudden.

Caris had suddenly swung her mace upon the creature, slamming it on her tail painfully, the heavy end pounding hard upon her body upon seeing the creature picking up her teacher. She swung her mace once more, but the Isis was too quick for her, and grabbed her hand and lifted her off the ground. Caris expected the creature to kill her there and then. After all, an Iris had enormous strength, and standing, if it could be called standing since Irises don't have any feet, almost 8 feet tall, the creature was more of a giant to her.

However, that wasn't apparently the case.

" Hey, girl, if you didn't realise by now, I'm she good guy…or girl for that matter, but let's not discuss my sexuality right here when we have dangerous people around," the Isis spoke to them, with a weird hissing noise in almost every word. Caris and Meillienne watched the creature in amazement wondering what was up.

The Isis then slithered away, carrying Caris and Selene along. The men started to give chase, but where stalled when several more arrows flew in their direction, hitting their targets painfully. The Isis crashed through several bushes, making for the thicker parts of the surrounding forest, moving with great agility as she slithered across the grassy floor, with Meillienne keeping as close as she possibly could to their very unlikely savior.

There was a shrill howl that could only come from an animal, and several more noises behind them, but they didn't bother about it. The Isis continued to slither along, still carrying Caris by her hand, hanging her in a funny way.

" Who are you?" Selene asked weakly.

" Iris…" the Iris replied.

" That wasn't what I meant," Selene answered.

" Geez, that was what I meant…Iris is my name…" the Iris replied.

" Iris?"

" Yes…very apt, no?"

" Why are you helping us? Who is your master?" Selene asked.

" Hush, priestess, we are not out of danger…my master is helping you for her sake as well," Iris replied. " We share same goal…". Selene wasn't too sure what to say about that, and kept quiet.

Iris moved along and reach a nearby clearing. She then slowed to a halt and slowly dropped the two of them on the ground. Meillienne ran up to check on Selene, who was severely injured. Iris looked right and left, sticking out her forked tongue once in a while, tasting the air.

" This is bad…my master is in trouble. I need to helps her," Iris groaned, then her eyes widened all of a sudden. " Quick, they are here! Get out! Warp now!"

Before they could do anything, something flew over them and landed nearby. Iris gave a shrill scream as a large net landed right over her, tied to weights by the side. Iris tried to push the net off her, but the weights were surprisingly heavy, and she was betting tangled up in the process of struggling.

The rest of them had reached them already, with Treiken in the lead, charging forward. Iris reached out, toppling one person with her clawed arm. Another came up and attempted to subdue her, but she lashed out viciously and bit the swordswoman on the head, sinking her fangs into her skull. It did not matter whether her fangs were poisonous or not. Puncturing the brain would have killed her anyway.

Treiken leaped into the fray, jumping over Iris as she attempted to catch him as he leaped over her. Bravely, Caris stood up, backing Meillienne up towards her wounded teacher and brandishing her mace in her hands. She swung it violently towards the head of one of the approaching swordsmen, missing as he ducked, but spinning the weapon around once more she didn't miss as her attack sped up, aided with her holy spell, smashing upon the man's skull.

However, an assassin flanked her at once, and she wasn't quick enough to react against him as he sunk his katar into her side. She have a sharp cry of pain as she felt her breath being caught in her lungs, before collapsing to the floor, delirious with pain and the loss of blood. Selene struggled to get up, not wanting to watch another acolyte die in such a fashion. The assassin raised his katar over Caris's body, ready for the final blow, but Treiken came over and stopped him, grabbing his arm.

" Don't…we might need a spare…" he said. The assassin reluctantly dropped his katars. Selene could not imagine what was up. First off they decided to kill off whatever acolytes they decided to lay their hands on, now they needed a 'spare'? She didn't have much time to spare to think about it when Treiken stepped forward, charging another bolt of fire into his hands.

Doing her best, she charged a surge of energy through to her hands. Treiken expected an attack and stepped back reflexively with his hands raised for a defensive spell, but he was wrong. Surprising even herself, Selene used the last of her strength to open up another warp portal, weak enough to teleport only one person.

" Meillienne, get in now!" Selene yelled. Meillienne hesitated, wondering if it was right to leave her companion and teacher with this band of cut-throats. Selene wanted to yell again, seeing Meillienne rooted to the spot to prompt her to move, but she had already hesitated a moment too long.

With a swift leap forward, Treiken planted his boot right on her chest and kicked her backwards. To her horror, she felt herself being engulfed in a pillar of light. Treiken had pushed Selene inside her warp portal to avoid the acolyte to escape. The warp portal was activated when she entered, and she felt the familiar floating sensation that she felt when she was teleported to another area.

She was just in time to catch a glimpse of Meillienne, who looked at her teacher worriedly, then smiled at her after a while.

_Why is she smiling?_ Selene thought. She was not able to contemplate on the thought as she felt herself passing out.

-

Treiken merely looked casually at Meillienne, who had now ran up towards the injured Caris and knelt beside her, healing her injury immediately. When she was done, she grabbed her and hugged her close, as if her arms alone could protect them from the surrounding mob. She gave then as hard of a stare as she could possibly muster, although honestly, she just wasn't scary enough. Most of the men chuckled when they started to surround her.

" Come now, Meillienne, that expression doesn't suit you at all," Treiken replied, smirking. Meillienne didn't know what to say, especially after he addressed her by name. It puzzled her that he knew her name. Her eyes suddenly widened when she saw the men started to close around her, and she clutched a semi-conscious Caris much more tightly.

" What do you want with us?!" Meillienne demanded, trying to sound as loud and brave as possible.

" Relax, we aren't here to kill you," Treiken assured her.

" But you still would kill my friend," Meillienne said.

" Come now, you aren't in the position to discuss matters with us. Come quietly, and we will assure you that we won't harm you in any way," Treiken assured her. Meillienne wondered if they somehow wanted to sell them off as slaves in Morroc like all the stories she had heard from her brother, but they seemed to violent to be the type to sell her off.

" What about my friend here?" she asked.

" Just follow us," Treiken said more dangerously now.

" No!" she replied commandingly. " You stay back! I'm not going to follow you unless you promise me that you will not harm my friend!" Treiken didn't seem to bother, and with a wave of his hand, ordered the rest of them to get her.

" You want me alive, right?! Take one more step and I'll kill myself by biting my own tongue!" Meillienne exclaimed loudly. They didn't seem to listen to her, until she bit down hard on her lips, allowing blood to trickle down her chin. Only then did they stop.

" Alright, alright…don't do anything foolish…" Treiken replied, calming down, although obviously irritated.

" Here is what I propose: You want us both, right? Fine, we will follow you then. I'll take my friend along by myself, and none of you come more than 5 feet between us, and I'll just follow you wherever you want me to go. How's that?" Meillienne asked.

" …I see no problem with that…" Treiken said, nodding. He gave another wave, and the rest of them backed off.

" Sir, what do we do about this creature?" a hunter asked, pointing to Iris who was still stuck in the net.

" Leave her," Meillienne demanded.

" It's you who need to get out!" Iris replied, her jaw still surrounding the dead swordswoman she had bitten.

" Leave her here. Let's get out before that crazy hunter returns with her motley crew again," Treiken replied. He snapped his fingers, and a priest emerged from the crowd, opening up a warp portal. He then bowed in a mocking fashion towards Meillienne, and said " After you, then."


	5. Chapter 4: Aesis's Command

**Chapter 4: Aesis's Command**

Azaroth couldn't remember the last time he had so many 'visitors' in his room. Selene was lying on his bed, having finished telling them her part of the story. Melanie was leaning on the wall, quietly listening to her tale. Vermillion seemed to have followed Selene here, and was leaning next to Melanie as well. Commander Aesis had arrived on the scene, and he apparently attracted a whole bunch of other people from the army as well, along with members of the Holy Order. The last one to join them before Selene finished was Deinnelle, who looked like her injuries had been fixed.

" Well, this sounds serious…but why take Meillienne?" Azaroth asked.

" I have no idea, but it was obviously her that they wanted," Selene replied weakly. Melanie glanced sideways to see Aesis picking up a small parchment and started to scribble on it with a feather pen he picked up from Azaroth's desk.

" You know, I'd murder you if I didn't know you that well," a new voice called out.

Everyone who had gathered in the room spun around to face the door, only to see the imposing figure of Reinne Malkenthos, who looked pretty much pissed. This was the first time Azaroth, and most of the people here, seeing Reinne looking pretty livid, her face boiling with what looked like seething rage. Even Selene seemed to shrink at the sight of her eyes looking down at her.

" I'm sorry…" Selene moaned.

" You are sorry?! Geez, you almost died, and now you crawl out of bed after I fixed you up and tell me you are sorry?! Did you know how worried I was when I went back to the infirmary only to find you missing?! Can't you act like a patient for once?" Reinne almost howled. The rest of them backed off from her, not wanting to be within the vicinity of an angry princess.

Selene looked pitifully back.

" Don't scare her, Reinne," Deinnelle replied.

Reinne sighed deeply. She seemed to have calmed down a little bit. Taking a deep breath, she then continued " Alright, I guess I could let this one bit slip pass. Anyway, we should probably mobilize a platoon to…"

" We won't be doing anything of that sort," a voice said firmly. This pretty much shell-shocked everyone in the room, as it was Aesis Crenilia who had spoken. Melanie looked wide-eyed at Aesis, who was still scribbling on the piece of parchment.

" Wait…what the hell do you mean?" Reinne asked.

" I mean what I just said. We are not sending out a rescue party for just a couple of acolytes," Aesis replied.

There was some dead-pan silence in the room, a weird tension that filled the air. Azaroth wasn't sure what was up, except this wasn't something Aesis would do. It just wasn't his nature to just leave an incident of this level without doing anything. Yet, there he was sitting on the desk impassively, still writing something down.

" Commander, I must insist! Are you allowing a bunch of cut-throats to just kidnap an acolyte and do nothing about it?!" Melanie exclaimed, detaching herself from the wall and standing erect, as if she could look more imposing than him in that fashion.

" Yeah!" Vermillion exclaimed.

" Aesis, this can't be…" Deinnelle started.

" Are you all contradicting me?" Aesis asked dangerously. Everyone kept silent at once when he spoke. Azaroth had never seen this side of Aesis before. Gone was the chivalrous, easy-going Commander he knew. Next to his desk now sat some sort of dark creature that Azaroth could swear he had never seen in his life before.

" As much as I regret what has happened, are you asking me to dispatch a platoon just to go rescue a couple of acolytes? Are you all out of your mind? Treiken is from the Deathguise guild, and do you know the consequences of that? We might as well start waging a small war against them first, let alone sending a platoon. I'm not going to risk army personal to just rescue two acolytes with a vague chance of success," Aesis replied. Nobody dared to talk back. " Now, if you all don't mind, let's leave Selene some room for peace and quiet. She needs it."

Nobody wanted to contradict him. One by one they started to leave the room. With Reinne and Deinnelle leaving last. The only ones left were Melanie, Azaroth, Selene, Vermillion and Aesis. Melanie was about to leave when Aesis got up all of a sudden, passed the parchment he was writing to her and left immediately, leaving her dumbfounded by his actions.

" What's that?" Azaroth asked. Melanie opened the scroll and looked through it. Aesis apparently had a message for her.

_Commander Melanie,_

_First of all, I must apologise for whatever I will be saying, or have said by the time you read this. As you read on, you'll understand that I have good reason to act as such._

_This is indeed a serious case, and I will need you to handle it carefully. _

_Listen to me, I have an order for you as of now: I need you pick whoever you can trust, and form a platoon and set out to rescue Meillienne and Caris. This mission is of utmost importance, and I put my trust in you to accomplish it, as I would expect of one of my best army officers._

_The reason I acted as such was to avoid being spied upon. It is too much of a coincidence. These people were targeting Meillienne obviously, but they were careful enough to strike at her when she was outside Pronteran grounds. I have all the reason to suspect that they have moles in our army. Ever since the devastation of the wars, our army has lost much of its power and glory it once held so proudly of. While I will attempt to figure this out, I need you to keep your activities as quiet as possible. Take those only whom you can trust._

_They needed Meillienne for some reason, but I have no reason to suspect they will use her off too soon. Their activities have to be limited, and we will hear of them soon if they were to act that rashly. So, take your time organizing yourself. I'm allotting 2 full days for you before you take any punitive action against them. _

_Tell Selene I'm sorry I said those words. It must have been hurtful to act like that against her student. I apologise for that. I trust you can carry out your duties as necessary._

_Yours sincerely_

_Aesis._

_P.S.: Burn this when you are done reading. If you occur any administrative problems, send them to me. I'll authorize everything you need._

" Don't worry, Selene. We'll be getting Meillienne back," Melanie replied, rolling up the scroll and tossing it into Azaroth's fireplace, burning the piece of paper to cinders. Selene looked a bit confused, but then she relaxed herself, lying back on the bed. She then realized something, then tried to get up.

" Hey, what are you doing?!" Melanie exclaimed, seeing her injured friend getting out of bed.

" I need to get back to the infirmary…" Selene replied weakly.

Before Melanie could reply, Azaroth stepped in, placing his hands on her shoulder and pushing her back upon the bed, his bed. " Hey, don't stress yourself walking up here and there. You are very much welcomed to stay in my room. I'll just stay somewhere else for the meantime," Azaroth replied.

" I'm sorry to have troubled you…" Selene apologized.

" Hey, what are friends for, eh?" Azaroth said. Heading towards the door, he said " Come on, you two, let's give her some rest and recreation, shall we?"

-

" So, what exactly is going on, damn it?" Vermillion spat as soon as they exited the place.

" Commander Aesis has ordered me to set up a small platoon and organize an investigation into the matter at hand concerning the kidnapping of Meillienne Windwalker and Caris Fang. I'm to get a platoon ready in two days, and we will set off by then, or before then, depending on how things go," Melanie replied, as they walked out of the barracks, going into the open where most of the soldiers of the Pronteran army were milling about, most of them aimlessly.

" Then what the hell are we waiting for?! Let's…"

" Hold your horses, Vermillion, we can't rush things. Commander Aesis suspects a mole in the army, and he has asked me to take things into consideration, and I need to handle this with utmost care without drawing any attention. The only people who knows about this order is the Commander himself, Vermillion, Azaroth and Selene…well, to a certain degree, and me. I'll need to make sure whoever I take has to be trustworthy enough," Melanie replied.

" I'm in!" Vermillion exclaimed.

" You won't be unless you further raise your voice…" Azaroth hissed.

" Vermillion will prove to be useful. You are in," Melanie said. " Get ready. We will move at any moments notice, and I sure hope you will be up to the task."

Vermillion and Azaroth stopped in their tracks and looked at Melanie quizzically, wondering if something was really wrong with her today. Not only did she actually agree with Vermillion on this occasion, which was uncommon enough, but to readily agree with her was quite unheard of. Melanie noticed that they were giving her strange looks, and turned around to look at them with a puzzled look on her face.

" Did I say something wrong?" she asked.

" Yes, you did. You just agreed with me," Vermillion said, scowling.

" Why? Was that too much of a compliment?" Melanie asked teasingly, narrowing her eyes.

" Sheesh, whatever, damn it. I'm outta here. Call me when you need me," Vermillion said, storming away. Azaroth and Melanie merely looked at her as she walked off, heading back to the monastery where she lived, taking long strides as she strode across the courtyard.

" Azaroth," Melanie barked.

" Huh? Yeah!" Azaroth said, snapping into attention.

" You shall be my second-in-command in this mission."

"…Does this mean I'm taking the Assistant Squadron Commander of the 3rd Squadron post that is still vacant?"

" I need you to get in contact with your good friend Tryzen Manaloth. I will probably need some consultation from him. Since he's a good friend of yours, and I have some experience with his character, we could use his help. Go and contact Soreen and get to Geffen immediately. You are to report to me the instant you get back," Melanie said, ignoring the question.

" Wait, Tryzen isn't in the army…why are you involving him?" Azaroth asked.

" I'm trying to avoid getting the army involved, since we might have a mole in our midst. I'm not asking him to come along on this mission, but he can if he wishes. It would be a good thing to make contact with Grimjaw, especially since his sister is involved. After all, we will be going to Morroc anyway, we might need his experience and assistance," Melanie answered.

This still didn't make much sense. Melanie was willing to trust people Azaroth knew. Either she didn't have much of a social circle to trust people, or either that they will be served as cannon folder. Either way, Azaroth wasn't going to argue.

" Sure…"Azaroth muttered, heading towards the church. Melanie took one look at him, then sighed loudly.

--

A young lady with sapphire green hair knocked softly on the wooden door in one of the high towers of the residential towers of Geffen, making a tray of food floating in her hands. The person inside instructed her to enter the room, and she turned the knob of the door open and made her way into the messy and cramped study of the occupant inside.

Tryzen was seated at his desk, as per usual, pouring over a number of scrolls and tomes over his desk, all with the usual intricate ancient writings and foreign language that dominated most of the book. It wasn't that Sapphire didn't know how to read them, it was just she didn't bothered about it as much as her husband did.

" What's this, more work?" she asked.

" Hmm…" he replied quietly, his hand running over a piece of paper with a quill.

" I've made lunch," she said softly.

" Hmm…" he repeated himself.

Sapphire sighed. Perhaps now it wasn't the time to disturb Tryzen, even though she so dearly wanted his attention. Tryzen could be absorbed at times in certain things, and right now, he was apparently more interested in the tome that was spread out around him than his lunch, or Sapphire for that matter. She left the tray of food by the small rickety coffee table by the corner of his room, and then promptly left.

" Hey, leaving so early?" Tryzen cooed as he suddenly slipped up behind her and wrapped his hands around her waist. She turned around in surprise, only to find him kissing her on the lips lovingly. She was quite surprised at his course of action, and she wondered what was up.

" Hmm?" Tryzen mused, licking his lips. " Strawberry cake?"

Sapphire gave out a short laugh. " Guilty as charged."

" You know, I didn't forget about out 2nd anniversary, you know," Tryzen said, smiling at her.

" You are a day late, genius," Sapphire chuckled. " Did you realize this before or after you saw the strawberry cake I baked and kept in the food cupboard?"

" Before…definitely before…" Tryzen sheepishly answered. Sapphire narrowed her eyes and looked at him sharply. He merely kissed her again in return, but this time his hands went up to her cloak and detached it ever so gently. Sapphire noticed what he had done, but she allowed the cloak to slip to the ground. " I'm sorry, honey. Can I make up for last night?" he asked.

" You can try…" she whispered seductively back, kissing him on the ear as they embraced each other. However, as Tryzen's hands reached down to Sapphire's back, he suddenly paused for a while, then disengaged himself from her.

" Tryzen?" she asked, totally confused at his actions. " Aren't you…"

" Vermillion…" Tryzen scowled, breaking off from Sapphire's embrace and heading towards the door. " How many time…Azaroth?" he exclaimed as he threw the door open, changing his tone in mid-sentence as he saw his good old friend leaning against the dining table in his usually garb and two swords slung on his belt, giving him his devilish grin and a casual wave of his hands as he said 'Yo.'

" What the heck are you doing here?" Tryzen exclaimed, walking forward and giving his friend their customary hug, patting him heartily on the back. Azaroth returned the hug with equal vigour.

" Azaroth, it's nice of you to drop by," Sapphire said, emerging from the room.

" Um…did I come at a wrong time?" Azaroth said, turning red at the sight of Sapphire. The sage was now only dressed in a skimpy leather vest that showed a bit too much skin for Azaroth's comfort and a very light skirt, considering the fact that it was his friend's wife he was looking at.

" Azaroth, you lecherous bastard, stop looking at my wife like that," Tryzen exclaimed, slapping him on the head.

" Geez, I'm still single. I'm allowed to look at anyone I like," Azaroth replied, rubbing the spot where he had been hit.

" It's alright, Azaroth. You know you are always welcomed here," Sapphire said, now having returned from Tryzen's study and having fasten her cloak back on, looking more decently dressed now than before. " Shall I…who is this?"

Tryzen looked around Azaroth, failing to spot the newcomer before. She was a young girl, about Meillienne's age, and had a rather attractive, yet familiar, face. Tryzen was quite sure he had seen her somewhere before in the army.

" Soreen Evanyse…she has kindly brought me here," Azaroth said. Tryzen noted that she had a worried look plastered on her face, even though she was trying her best to smile at the rest of them.

" I take it that you bring bad news…again…" Tryzen sighed.

--

Melanie moved across the army courtyard. News about them finding a bunch of acolytes somewhere at the northern forest had attracted her attention, and she found herself homing in towards where they were. She was informed that they were now being tend to at the local infirmary, and she made her way there as quickly as possible.

Everybody seemed to jump as she entered the treatment room. 8 scared and wounded acolytes lay around in the cots, being attended to by the priestesses and nurses around, but none of them suffering anything worse than an arrow wound to the shoulder. Melanie sighed. It looked like Selene was right, only 8 of them made it back alive.

" Captain Melanie! Did you hear any word from Priestess Selene?! What happened to her?!" an acolyte she knew by the name of Alreen demanded. There was a sudden outburst among the group, all of them wanting to know what had happened to their teacher, despite the efforts of the nurses and priestesses around to calm them down.

" She's fine. Selene managed to escape and return back to us. She has been injured, but she will make a full recovery in due time," Melanie answered. Most of them sighed in relief, calming down for a second.

" What about the other acolytes?" another piped up.

"…They…didn't make it," Melanie said, trying to make her voice sound even.

" I meant Meillienne and Caris! They were still alive before we left, I was sure of it. If Selene made it out, then they should be fine, right?" the acolyte replied.

Melanie had no quick answer for the remark. " Meillienne and Caris are missing," Melanie said after a very long, and painful, pause. " The matter is being…handled as we speak, so don't worry about it too much." The acolytes were just in too much shock to reply back. Melanie sighed loudly. This was why she hated telling people bad news.

" …Thank you…" Alreen thanked her.

_Then again, perhaps there are other benefits as well,_ Melanie thought softly as she smiled at Alreen and turned to leave the room. She doubled back a second later, only to realize that something was very odd with the room. Everyone looked at her in surprise as she returned with an appraising gaze while she scanned the room. It took her a while to realize why she felt the room was odd.

" Maycron? What are you doing here?" Melanie asked, looking at the young man who was standing next to Alreen, his hand on her shoulder, comforting her. Maycron stiffened when his superior commander addressed him directly.

" What? I was just…" he stammered.

" Come!" Melanie barked, spinning around, reverting back to her usually demeanor.

" Yes, right now! I'll tell Soreen, okay?" he said to Alreen before leaving. He quickly walked down the steps, following Melanie closely as she exited the infirmary.

" What were you doing there?" Melanie asked again.

" Soreen was getting worried about what had happened to Alreen, so I was just there just to make sure that she was alright and to tell Soreen the good news later. Do you know where she is? I can't seem to find her," Maycron answered truthfully.

" Why were your hands on her shoulder and hands?" Melanie asked, scowling slightly.

" Commander, I'm sure that you are getting the wrong idea. I was absolutely doing nothing with Alreen…" Maycron replied.

" You do know what will happen if you fool around, right?" Melanie asked, this time good-naturedly.

" Stop teasing me, please…" Maycron pleaded.

" Alright, alright…" she replied. " Anyway, I need you to…"

Melanie didn't manage to finish her sentence. A novice came running up to her, tapping her on her shoulder. She looked around quizzically to see the young girl looking up at her towering figure. " Miss, Commander Aesis has asked you to meet a messenger in the church. He said it was pertaining to the mission you are having at hand."


	6. Chapter 5: Semilia Nighthound

**Chapter 5: Semilia Nighthound**

Melanie walked up towards the church grounds with Maycron in tow, following her from behind while mindful to keep his distance. Melanie didn't blame him for such actions, but it did irk her slightly. One always had to be careful with dealing with Melanie, and for a very good reason. The only people who were not older or superior in rank who had the balls to take her down with impunity were Azaroth and Vermillion.

Melanie moved quickly across the city square, making her way quickly towards the church, rather curious to whatever that was in store for her. She wasn't quite sure who she was meeting and how he or she might help, but she had little time to waste in dealing with strangers.

The main church of Prontera stood tall before her as she entered the courtyard. The massive stone walls stood several floors above the regular shop-houses that littered the area. This was one of the older buildings of Prontera, a large foundation where the main religion of Prontera was born and raised till what is is today. The place of sanctuary and worship for all, although despite her profession, Melanie had to admit that she was not really a devout, religious person. Coming to the church had always been for business, not spiritual, religious or even personal matters.

She stepped right up to the massive wooden doors and opened them with a great push, swinging them aside as she made her way into the place. As of now, the place was empty. It wasn't really the time for people to pray, and the priests and priestesses who manned the place were only usually present, except for the odd one or two people who were here for other businesses.

However, this was not to be. Right at the altar stand stood a female figure, tall, sharp, and smartly dressed. She had a handsome vest, with intricate patterns running all over it, and from the looks, they were floral patterns. As she stepped closer, Melanie could observe the elegant, silver coloured bow that was strapped to her back, the sharp patterns that made up a Rudra's bow. As she came up even closer, she realised her visitor was an elf.

The elf looked back at her when she arrived, her green eyes piercing hers like the arrows she supposedly shoots. Her hair was long and graceful, the dark blue tone matching well with the jeweled headband she wore. She carried an air of authority about her, and Melanie should know this aura well, as she carried one as well.

_Well, what's an elf doing here..._

" Squadron Commander Melanie Stryfort, at your service," Melanie said, snapping into a salute and offering her gloved hand.

" So, you have arrived. The name's Semilia Nighthound," the elf replied gracefully, in a lithe and polite, yet proud tone.

_Correction, what is an elf 'princess' doing here..._

--

Vermillion walked down the market streets of Prontera, merely looking around at all the people milling about, doing their daily chores and buying their daily needs for the day or the week. Vermillion had no business here. This was her favourite place to take a stroll when she had nothing else better to do or was waiting for something. With the sheer number of people and activity, there was a higher percentage of something happening, and when it does, she just wanted to be in the thick of it.

Shouts up ahead indicated that she was right on her mark.

There was a gathering of people up ahead along one of the stores, and people were just about as interested as she was in trouble, especially in these parts. So much for her daily entertainment. Vermillion moved closer towards her intended target.

" I'm not selling you that!" a man's loud voice could be heard.

" Why not?" an odd, hissing reply came back.

" Are you nuts? Where the heck is your master? I'm not selling my goods to some dangerous looking snake without her master around," the same man replied.

" My master is on an urgent business ands is unable to comply. Besides, I can pay you fine enough, puny human," the reply came back.

" Out of my way! Army official coming through!" Vermillion bellowed, passing through the crowd as the mass of people parted away for her to pass, half of them doing so due to the fact that they knew her attitude, not because she was a army official.

She managed to come across an odd situation. Right in front of her was a barbeque stand where a young man was selling his wares, mainly fired meat hanging juicily along his stand that he had set up. However, the customers were a strange bunch.

Standing right in front of the man in an intimidating was a massive 10 foot tall Iris, a creature that was 50 percent female, 50 percent snake. She looked pissed in a way, from the angry expression her slit-like eyes gave. Her darkish red tone of her massively sinewy body gave her a very feral feeling, and she had the built to back her up. However, right behind her was a meek looking Sohee, who looked terrified as the Iris was trying her best to intimidate the seller and was trying to convince the Iris to ignore him and forget about it, muttering 'let's go, let's go, let's go' under her breath repeatedly. Two other figures, a Bongun and a Munak stood behind both of them, hopping on the spot without a care in the world.

" What…in God's name is going on here?" Vermillion asked. It was indeed odd that these creatures were walking about without anyone in charge of them, but they were obviously domesticated by the looks.

" I was trying to buy some nourishments for my friends here, but this seller does not want to sell me his wares. He's obviously a speciest," the Iris replied.

" Speciest?" Vermillion asked, raising her eyebrows.

" Yes, speciest," The Iris repeated.

" Just ignore here, she likes to cause trouble," the Sohee muttered apologetically.

" Don't you mean racist?" Vermillion suggested.

" We aren't of the same species," the Iris objected.

" Point well taken," Vermillion mused.

" Well, what does it matter? I'm not going to sell my stuff to monsters like you all, so leave," the man replied.

The Iris was about to flex her muscles when Vermillsion spoke solemnly. " Come now, I'm sure you don't want to do this sort of thing. I'm sure your master, whoever he or she is, would be dealing with a lot of trouble trying to get you all out of prison for such a simple thing. I'm sure there are other stores as well," she replied.

The Iris looked oddly at Vermillion, before lowering her arm and slowly slid backwards, her shoulders slumped in defeat. " Alright, I understand," she mused.

As soon as she said that, Vermillion took one swift step up towards the seller and slammed her fist against his jaw as hard as she could, her arm swinging in a powerful arc. Her fist crunched against the man's jaw, and sent him flying across towards the back, skidding towards a wall. The crowd gave a collective gasp as she did that. Boldly, she took several sticks of fried meat and tossed them to the creatures.

" As for me, I could give a shit about it," Vermillion arrogantly replied, biting on a piece of fried, greasy meat she had taken for herself. Once she was satisfyingly chewing on her newly obtained snack, she walked off, people parting away for her to pass.

" That…was brilliant!" the Iris replied, following her.

" Nothing to it really," Vermillion said proudly.

" You have my thanks," she replied, hissing slightly as she flicked her forked tongue in and out.

" No problem... what's you name, by the way?" Vermillion asked.

" Isis."

" That seriously can't be your name. I'm sure you do have a name, be it old Morrocan or otherwise?" Vermillion asked.

" No, that's what I meant. Isis is my name. Of all names to pick, eh?" Iris replied. Vermillion looked quizzically at her, but merely shrugged her shoulders. She decided she had no right in commenting upon people's odd names. After all, hers was rather odd as well, named after a colour, albeit a very suitable colour for her.

" Vermillion Hunter, Lieutenant and Second-in-command of the 5th Platoon of the 3rd Squadron of the 3rd Division, member of the church, but not a staunch pious person, and having a knack for violence, at your service," Vermillion said, offering her hand. Iris took it and shook them, and Vermillion could feel her powerful sinewy muscles beneath her scaly hands grip hers with a certain force.

" Interesting introduction," Iris replied, laughing, although it sounded more like she was coughing and hissing a the same time the way she laughed. " How rude of me. Allow me to introduce my companions. This is Crystal, a Sohee…"

" I apologise for all the trouble…" Crystal replied in an instant.

" Will you just cool it?! Here's a trivia: Half her sentences she speaks are apologies," Iris continued, cutting Crystal short before she could continue, obviously a little ticked at this strange behavior of the Sohee. " The Bongun's name is Obelisk, who is the noisiest talker in the Eastern front."

" Talkative? I have yet to hear him say a word…" Vermillion replied, turning around to look at Obelisk.

Apparently, she didn't hear him say a word because she wasn't really paying any acute attention. Obelisk was indeed talking, but in hushed voices towards the Munak, who looked like she'd like to be anywhere else besides being near him. Vermillion could catch a few words, like 'nice looking place', 'old stone architecture', 'did you know I came here once' and the very odd, but well placed 'how about a date?' within 5 seconds.

" I see what you mean," Vermillion replied, ripping out the last of her meat from the stick of BBQ she had, tossing the stick aside in a nearby bin, which was conveniently full, so it bounced off the heap of rubbish and dropped to the ground.

" I'm sorry, but he's rather attracted to Peineya," Crystal replied.

" Isn't that some sort of typical behavior?" Vermillion mused.

" His borders on the obsession kind. You see, she has rejected him for the last 3 years we've been together, but he still doesn't know how to give up," Crystal explained.

" Ho, and why doesn't she tell him off?"

" Cos she rarely speaks," Iris replied. " Correction: she 's mute, but my master says she can speak."

" So, what brings you odd lot into our walled city?" Vermillion asked.

" Our master has business to deal with the army. She is now in the church dealing with whoever it is with the problem. As we are…well, not exactly human, being demons and the undead, we are prohibited from entering church grounds, whether they want to or not," Crystal replied. Vermillion merely nodded her head. The church ground was set up using some olden sealing technique that covered it within an aura of Holy powers. It isn't powerful per se, but enough to cause some pain to unholy creatures if they think of stepping into the place. The odd thing was vermillion could never figure out what kept that aura there, as if it ran on an unquenchable bowl of Holy power.

" Well, your master should be done by now, shouldn't she? Let's pay her a visit, shall we?" Vermillion suggested.

--

A warp portal opened itself in the middle of the busy city square of Prontera, and the people milling about stepped aside to allow some space for the person to step out of the warp portal. Certainly not the best place for Azaroth to choice to come out from, but he was content with Soreen's limited abilities to take him places.

" Back again so soon? Ah, the memories it brings," Tryzen replied, taking a deep breath, before faking a cough. " No wonder I always hated this place. It's so crowded and polluted. Tell me, Azy, how the heck can you stand a place like this? I thought growing up in a backwater village like ours has probably made you unable to stand city life."

" If I remembered correctly from the last I read, Geffen was a city as well," Azaroth replied pointly.

" Yeah, but it ain't as dirty as this place is…not that I hate it really, my lady," Tryzen added when a young maiden walked by him when he said that sentence, who looked rather affronted.

" Hypocrite," Azaroth muttered.

" Dirty, army whore," Tryzen muttered.

" Where exactly are we suppose to go?" Sapphire asked, cutting them short of entering a probably friendly, but yet vulgar slugfest.

" Melanie asked me to meet up with her when I managed to convince you to come here and help her. Of course, the problem now is to actually find her. She's probably off somewhere doing some administrative stuff in the barracks, I reckon," Azaroth answered.

" …Melanie…?"

" Don't report me in for not addressing her without adding in her rank," Azaroth pleaded as he walked across the square.

Tryzen, Sapphire and Soreen followed suit as Azaroth took the lead, walking along the cobbled streets of the city, passing through smaller, fairly unused alleys around the main shophouses and building around the area, as if he knew it at the back of his head. Azaroth was adept at navigating himself through areas, and after going through them twice, it was just a piece of cake.

" Fancy you taking shortcuts," a voice replied.

" Well, Vermillion, you suggested them to me, and I'm not that kind of guy who'd diss your advice all the time," Azaroth answered, seeing a familiar face come up around one of the corners. "Wait, why is there a motley crew of …pets, following you?"

Azaroth and the rest of his group paused as they saw Vermillion emerge with a huge Iris towering over them, covering whatever sunlight that managed to pass through the alleyway's top, along with a Sohee in tow and a couple of bouncing beings behind them.

" Apparently, I've received word that Melanie is dealing with their master somewhere at the church, and we are just going to meet them right now after a stroll through the city. Come on, let's go. You probably want to meet her as well now that you managed to pull the magician back from his hibernation hole in Geffen," Vermillion replied, now unconsciously taking the lead for Azaroth.

She took them out of the alleyway that was right next to the grand church of Prontera, with Azaroth and Tryzen giving odd looks to one another at the bunch of people Vermillion had decided to take along. However, Azaroth decided that this was best to be left for some other time to contemplate. They managed to reach the exterior of the church grounds, and Vermillion calmly made her way in.

" Tell me, did they decided to add a wolf to the church's roof for decoration, or is this some kind of a new fad?" Sapphire asked quietly.

Azaroth's head immediately shot up towards the church's roof. There was no mistake, there was a wolf prowling on the roof of the church, but this was no mere wolf. While most wolves were about the size of a human and having the same weight, this was massive, around 5 to 6 times bigger than the regular wolf. Azaroth could catch all its sinews tensing with every step it took, as it glared at him with its dark eyes and gnashing teeth. Reflexively, Azaroth reached for his swords, but was stopped by a call before he could even make the metal of his blade shine under the afternoon sun.

" You shall stay your hand. He is with me," a cold, calculated voice spoke to him.

Azaroth turned his attention towards the church doors which were left ajar. All of a sudden, a highly decorated elf stepped out from the belly of the church and into the sun. An ivory face greeted him, with steel cold eyes that bore into him. Azaroth might have considered to draw his swords anyway if not for Melanie's presence, appearing right next to her. Melanie caught sight of him, and immediately closed the distance between them within a second, a major feat for a crusader, and stepped on his foot purposely.

" Son of a bitch, do you know who she is?" Melanie snarled as she whispered between gritted teeth.

" …Ow! What? Who? A guest?!" Azaroth whispered, gritting, but in pain.

" She's an elf princess from Payon. Don't you dare point your sword at her face!" Melanie hissed. Azaroth caught sight of the Iris standing right in front of him and had an odd thought.

" It wasn't her I was pointing at…" azaroth said, trying to defend himself.

" I'll have none of your excuses," Melanie replied.

Semilia gave a short whistle and in an instant the massive wolf leaped off the roof and landed perfectly on the ground without making too much of a sound, which was surprising, as Azaroth was expecting it to make a dull thud at least with its size. Dropping down with the ability only a feline might have had, the wolf walked up to its master and Semilia scratched his ears playfully, and he cooed, much to everyone's surprise.

" I must apologise if he has caused any trouble. Patch always has trouble keeping to one place," Semilia replied.

" Yeah, dumb dog," Iris muttered. Patch barked loudly at her.

" Same applies to you," Semilia replied.

" Nah, he's fine, as long as he didn't bit anyone's balls or anything," Vermillion replied, laughing out loud. Catching the sight of Semilia looking at her, she continued with " Oh, I'm sorry, I met up with these people and I thought I'd just show them around the place, you know. The name's…"

" Vermillion Striker, I know," Semilia replied. Her companions looked at her, somehow feeling that an elf knowing her name was something criminal.

" Excellent, some introductions aren't that necessary anymore," Melanie replied, seeing Vermillion's expression of incredulity etched hilariously on her face. " Well, glad you could make it Tryzen. I see your friend's persuasive power is still pretty strong with you. For your information, this is Semilia Nighthound, an elf princess from her kingdom in Payon. She's here to help us on our mission. I must excuse his actions, but this is my second-in-command for this mission…"

" Azaroth Crimson, yes, that I also know…" Semilia replied, the tone of her voice dropping to a chilling volume all of a sudden. Azaroth frowned. Not only did she know Vermillion, but him as well. Very strange indeed.

" Have we met?" he asked politely.

" No, I doubt we have, but there is no need to be friendly with me," Semilia said coldly.

_Give the damn order, and I'll whip her head off her thinly framed shoulders this very instant!_ Azaroth screamed in his head loudly.

" Well, since we have most of our players here already, we can probably start. Maycron, go to the inn Teranis is staying in and call for her. Soreen, call Flick and Camelia. Tell them to meet at my place," Melanie ordered. Both of the young acolytes nodded their heads and headed off with military precision and order to do their allotted tasks. " Well, the rest of you, follow me…"

However, before she took a step, someone ran right up to her, skidding to a halt. His flaming red hair in a mess, and looking as if he had ran all the way from Morroc just to reach here in time. He took deep breaths as he looked tired and messed up.

" Grimjaw?" Azaroth asked.

" What the hell happened?" he demanded harshly, his breathing becoming sharp and hard.


	7. Chapter 6: Holarian Limit

**Chapter 6: Holarian Limit**

" …So, I made it back as soon as I heard the news. You know I could not wait around in Morroc after knowing what has happened to her," Grimjaw explained.

" I understand," Azaroth answered.

" Why hasn't any action been taken yet?" Grimjaw asked " Time has passed since I…"

" Commander Aesis thinks that there is a mole in our army, that's why they knew where and when exactly to his Selene and her party. Making any sudden movements might accelerate the torch. Aesis thinks that they need Meillienne for something important and she'll be fine for now. Hey, don't look at me like that!" Azaroth warned, seeing the look Grimjaw was giving him, as if he was about to bite his head off. " …Look, it sounds irregular, and I would like to go after these bastards as soon as I can, you know I will, but Aesis knows what he is doing, and I trust his instincts, so we must wait for a while. Don't worry about it, Melanie is on top of things, and I'm confident she can pull through…somehow."

Grimjaw didn't answer, but merely slouched his body and droop his head forward, as if he was sulking or something. Azaroth decided not to comment further upon the point. Both of them were leaning at the corner of Melanie's room which had become their meeting point. Melanie was probably trying to keep their meeting secret, which would be obvious if held in the normal common discussion room in the barracks, but it would be also very obvious something was absolutely wrong if a whole bunch of people entered her room, since it was well known she doesn't get much visitors. Azaroth suggested his place, but there wasn't enough room for it anyway, and he hated arguing with Melanie anyway, since he usually lost.

" How's Selene?" Grimjaw whispered.

" What?" Azaroth asked, almost not hearing the question at the level of volume Grimjaw spoke. " She's fine, I guess. Why don't you ask her yourself?"

" I'm doing fine, there is no need for you to worry about me," Selene's voice floated right at them as she passed both of them.

Azaroth wasn't too sure whether it was true or not the first time he heard it, but it looks like it was confirmed: there was some tension going on between Selene and Grimjaw. Technically, Grimjaw had some spot of conflict with Meillienne about some topic, but Selene took Meillienne's side, and it sort of spiraled out of their control. Azaroth wasn't sure what exactly happened, and he didn't want to spoil his relationship with Selene by asking her sensitive questions, although he suspected she probably wouldn't mind, but Grimjaw left Prontera one and a half months ago and never returned any word since. He could theorise all he wanted, but he was still clueless about what happened. Apparently, women don't forget easily, from Selene's reaction.

" Thanks for letting me use your room. I'm sorry for the inconvenience," Selene said gently to Azaroth, making a hint that she wasn't mad at him, but singling Grimjaw out. Grimjaw did his best to shrink himself, looking like some beaten dog.

" No problem, I'm used to you giving me trouble," Azaroth said, chuckling.

Melanie's room started to fill up all of a sudden, and just like Azaroth, for the first time she found herself having so many people inside her humble abode. Semilia regally placed herself on one of Melanie's sofas, her pet companions all around her: Patch by her feet, growling at everyone who passed by him, Iris looking oddly out of the window, while Crystal was trying to pacify Obelisk who was making too much noise for his own good.

Tryzen was seated alongside Sapphire as expected, holding her hands. Selene went over to where Teranis prepared a chair for her and took a seat. Maycron and Soreen sat at the back, part of this group but seemingly lost with all the noise and strange people, half whom they do not know. Flick and Camelia, friends of Melanie since she was young, and members of her squadron and Platoon commanders just like Azaroth, stood at the entrance, talking to each other. Vermillion had plonked her rear end on the dining chairs and propped her legs on the table. However, Melanie was too busy organizing everything to bother about something this small.

" Alright, settle down everyone, I'll need to start this soon," Melanie said with a odd finality in her tone. Everyone kept quiet at once. One of her leadership abilities, to take over a level of command unlike no other. Whether it was out of fear or respect, it didn't really matter. Azaroth was always impressed at the level of order she always commanded.

" Alright, we'll start from the beginning and explain everything from there, so listen up. Sometime this morning, Selene's group which consisted of a whole bunch of acolytes, a total of 16 of them, were ambushed by Treiken, a highly dangerous criminal who has been known to tamper with the dark arts. We do not know of yet his objectives, but he took a group of people and attacked Selene's convoy, killing the escorting Platoon lead by Cradial. Only 8 acolytes managed to survive, along with Selene. However, we believe two other acolytes are still alive, held captive by them: Meillienne Windwalker and Caris Fang," Melanie replied. Selene gave a soft sob as she spoke.

" Right now, I've been task to hunt down these perpetrators and rescue the acolytes. However, we believe that there is a mole in the army, that's why Selene's position was so easily compromised, so all of you collected here, with exception to Semilia Nighthound and her companions, are people I can absolutely trust. Thus, I hope that you can honour me with the trust I have given you," Melanie replied.

" Wait, you trust me?" Teranis, Grimjaw and Tryzen spoke at once.

" Selene's one of the persons I can confide to confidently, so I trust her instincts to trust you. As dodgy as you are, I believe Meillienne picked up her morals from someone close, so I don't doubt you there. Besides, I've known Sapphire for a long time now, so I don't think there is any problem with you Tryzen, despite your odd intellect and eccentricities," Melanie answered confidently.

" Ho," Azaroth muttered.

" Shut it, will you?" Melanie snarled.

" So, what next?" Flick piped up.

" Well, this is where you two come in, Sapphire and Tryzen. Treiken was mainly a criminal, and most of his details were left to Geffen to deal with. I was hoping you'd have some information to share. Care to share anything with us?" Melanie asked.

" Why not? Age: 28, Born on the 4th Month on the 3rd day, graduated from the academy as a mage at the age of 18 due to brilliant record in academics. Ugly son of a bitch who had a violent tendency to do random stuff. Was banished by the magic community when he was found meddling with necromancy, and officially exiled when he continued with his experiments. Is still today a wanted criminal by our community, especially after attempting to assassinate all the old, bowl-legged rags in the top of the Geffen tower while they were having a meeting," Tryzen answered.

" Nothing much really. Records show that he had some psychological problems when he was in the academy, and has some odd habits. Brilliant, no doubt, but scary. He was first caught meddling with necromancy when he was 22, inside his own apartment. Even after being punished and charged, he still didn't give up. Angered by the fact that we people were stifling his 'superiorly intellect' mind, he launched an attack on Geffen with whatever rogue wizards he could gather. From then on, we had started a manhunt for him, but he managed to disappear off the map completely. Rumours were that he was in Morroc, but it was too dangerous to go there just to check. He probably does his studies somewhere in the city, but we don't know for sure since he has fallen off the map for years now," Sapphire answered.

" He's there alright…probably doing his stuff," Grimjaw replied.

Almost all of them turned around to look at him. " How do you know this?" Azaroth asked.

" Because I met him," Grimjaw replied.

" You can't be kidding me…"

" He dropped by Tryhayren's dune once, a few days ago, asking Tryhayren for something. I wasn't sure what, but he asked her for some supplies of sorts, saying that he was going to fetch something. Didn't really know what he meant by that, but I guess I can guess now," Grimjaw replied, gritting his teeth.

" So, we have this criminal person hanging somewhere in Morroc. We know where he is now, so let's go get him!" Vermillion exclaimed.

" It's not so simple. Morroc is after all the criminal's haven, and our authority does not hold anything there. Walking in dressed like this in my crusader's armour is like walking in town with a death warrant on my head. People like Treiken are welcomed there, but people like us are not," Melanie replied.

" If you don't mind me asking, what's your involvement in this?" Flick asked, directing his question to Semilia.

Semilia took a deep breath, then said " Treiken has been causing trouble with the elven community with his magic. I was sent out to find him and if possible, take him down. I found that it was highly unlikely that I can do that now, since he has affiliated himself to the Deathguise Guild," she replied.

" Who are they?" Azaroth asked. Semilia shot him an icy look, not answering. Azaroth reeled backwards slightly at the reaction, wondering what exactly was up with this very angry elf.

" They are a criminal guild based in Comodo and Lutie. Their leader is a banished knight named Kain Resselcrowe. He managed to pull up a number of people, and his guild is growing steadily. The army has yet to take action because this is mainly not under Pronterean jurisdiction, and he has yet to do anything hostile towards us, so we don't have the authority to do shit about it," Camelia answered.

" Thus, we had trouble trying to deal with this Treiken fella. However, we still attempted to track him. We found out that he was tracking some group of acolytes and ambushed them. We attempted to help, but we were unsucessful," Iris spoke up.

" Indeed, I thought you look familiar," Selene replied. Iris merely scratched her head, and very embarrassingly blushed, which was funny to look. Azaroth didn't try to look too amused, since he could somehow feel Semilia's eyes trying to bore into his head.

" Our master decided that she couldn't do this alone, and decided to ask the army for help. Since we are after the same person, we should be able to cooperate well," Crystal said.

" Yeah, yeah, yeah, first of all…"

" Obelisk, shut up!" Iris hissed.

" What?!" the Bongun exclaimed.

" Obelisk, do shut up," Semilia repeated. This time, the Obelisk didn't argue, but slink back down and kept quiet. Apparently, no one wants him to speak too much, as he had seen Iris and Crystal actively forcing him not to speak too much previously on their trip here.

" What will your people think of this? I thought that elves disliked humans messing with their affairs," Flick asked.

Semilia shot Azaroth another look, as he was busy looking at Flick to avoid looking at her, even indirectly. " We don't mind, and I'm sure my people will agree to that. Besides, Treiken is mostly your problem. I'm just here to help, that is all. I can vouch for that," Semilia answered.

Azaroth had been with Serene long enough to know that Semilia was not pleased with this. The elves rarely accepted help, or rarely much collaborated with the humans in any sort of matter, as it was a matter of pride to them. Elves usually see differently from humans, especially someone of Semilia's stature. She would only cooperate when she had no other choice. However, her hatred for Azaroth stemmed from something else, although Azaroth could not imagine what it was.

" Besides, what do they want Meillienne for?" Flick asked.

" That's what I'm puzzling about as well. They needed her specifically. Treiken didn't bother about the rest of the acolytes, so it probably means she's the target of something. But…what exactly?"

Most of them turned their heads when they saw a hand waving in the air, Tryzen looking as if he had scored something big.

" Yes, smartass?" Vermillion scowled.

" I may have a theory…" Tryzen started.

" Which is usually, and universally, correct," Vermillion and Azaroth spoke at once, not missing a beat.

" First of all, I need to ask everyone: Do you all know what the Holarian Limit is?" Tryzen asked. From the looks of some of them, it was obvious not everyone knows. " Allow me to explain: The Holarian Limit is an arbitrary way of measuring ones Holy power, the higher, the more 'Holy', in a sense, you are. The greater the limit, the better you are at Holy spells, and what not."

" I thought that was decided by talent?" Teranis asked.

" Magic is decided by talent, like what I do. The skills needed to take on the arcane knowledge of the unknown takes an amount of talent, just like everything else. However, being a priest, or even an acolyte, is far different," Tryzen replied.

" Magic is channeled using ones energy, a source of power that comes from the body. This is done mainly by increasing ones spirituality, not in a religious sense obviously, something wizards and sages can do easily. The magic, if you would call it, or spells, used by priests, are no different, they use energy as well, but something more: Holy Power. If energy is considered one's spirit, then Holy Power can be considered one's soul."

" People say some people's souls are corrupted more than others…well, actually, there is a basis for that. Each people are born with a different amount of Holy powers, some less, some more. The church chooses acolytes by this method. If you don't pass a certain quota, you can't become a priest. And this amount is what we call the Holarian Limit."

" How is this measured? Simple," Tryzen replied. He took up his hands and drew a few sigils in mid-air. A small glowing circle appeared out of nowhere, right in front of him. He touched it, and it burst, scattering what looked like golden words all over the place. " This is how it is measured."

" What?!" Grimjaw exclaimed.

" The Holarian Limit is counted using arbitrary units of percentage, so they range from 0 to 100. The more you have it, the more latent Holy power you have. I have a Holarian Limit of 14, which is way too low for the basic requirement to even enter the church as a member. Any of you know your Holarian Limits?" Tryzen asked.

" 90" Selene replied.

" 42," Vermillion answered.

" How did you enter the church and become a monk with such low Holarian Limits?!" Flick exclaimed.

" Obvious, isn't it? She probably beat up the Cardinal testing her," Azaroth muttered.

" 40 is the cut-off point," Melanie replied. " Mine's 50."

Azaroth wasn't sure whether anyone else noticed it or not, but Tryzen gave Melanie an odd look when she stated her Holarian Limit.

" 32," Sapphire stated.

Azaroth looked at Selene, who merely looked back, and shrugged her shoulders. He too, knew his Holarian Limit. The only problem was whether there was a need to tell them or not. After all, his was...

" Alright, we can see that it is pretty varied in people, but there are two exceptions," Tryzen replied, holding up his hand and showing two fingers. " Care to name me the two special ones?"

" 0?" Azaroth replied.

" Exactly!"

" What would that mean?" Semilia asked.

" A person with 0 Holarian Limit means that he has no trace of any Holy power, or devoid, in other words. Highly impossible for the normal human. The only beings without any Holarian power are beings that usually burn when Holy powers are applied to them, thus this list includes zombies, undead and their ilk," Tryzen replied. " What's the second one?"

" 100 percent," Azaroth answered.

" Exactly!"

" Did you two clowns rehearse this?" Melanie asked, raising her eyebrows.

" So, what?! 100 percent means that you have a lot, don't you?" Vermillion asked.

" Apparently you aren't well versed in these sort of things," Tryzen replied. " Care to explain, honey?"

" The Holarian Limit is counted using an arbitrary unit. It's like there is this cylinder inside all of us that is filled up accordingly by this measurement. Like 20, 20 liters; 50, 50 liters. However, this doesn't count accordingly when it reaches a 100. If anything reaches 100, it means that it goes beyond the normal human limits. There is like a mass of Holy energy residing within that very person. Even touching a zombie would burn their skin."

" Priestess Selene, Meillienne has a Holarian Limit of a 100, doens't she?" Tryzen casually asked.

" She...does..." Selene asnwered. " How'd you…?"

" This is merely a theory, but I speculate that whatever that they have taken Meillienne for, it was because of this. This is the only thing I can think of that marks her as much more special than the rest of them, besides being of a Morrocan origin. I have no idea what Treiken wants, but if he does mess around with sealing magic, I believe that he might...well, just want to take out this enormous powers she retains," Tryzen replied.

" Wait, why wasn't I told...?!" Grimjaw started.

" This information is classified. People with such powers are always hunted. This is to protect their identities and avoid problems like these. History always have records of people who have such powers are always being threatened. Take Princess Reinne for example: before her 15th birthday she already had 15 kidnapping attempts being attempted upon her. This makes no exception to Meillienne," Selene answered.

" Come now, you must have suspected that she had some sort of 'hidden talent'. Azaroth told me she healed you while you were mortally injured in the desert sometime ago when Jackton attacked the place to find Azaroth. Are you telling me, that some random person with absolutely no training in the Holy Arts being able to bring back an almost dead brother back to life? If becoming an acolyte was this easy, everyone should take up a healing spell or two, just in case," Tryzen replied.

" I..."

" Jacton carved open a hole in your chest. If you say you are tough, I'd say I find that very hard to believe," Azaroth replied.

" So, you are saying..."

" It's a theory," Tryzen cut in.

" ...That they kidnapped Meillienne because of this?" Flick asked.

" That's a start," Tryzen replied.

" We will have to work on that. Anyway, since we do know that Treiken is around Morroc, we will set off tomorrow when the light hits the sky and see what we can find there. I'll call all of you when the time comes. That is all, get some rest," Melanie replied, cutting them all short. Azaroth stared at her oddly. It looked like she wanted to get this over quickly.

Nobody really argued with her as they started to exit the the room. Azaroth attempted to linger around behind to talk to her, but she gave him a hard look, showing that she didn't really want him to be there, as he left with the rest, careful to avoid Semilia when she was exiting.

" Tryzen, a word please," Melanie asked.

Tryzen turned around, looking puzzled. Detaching himself from Sapphire, whispering 'I'll be with you soon, you go first' into her ear and waiting for the rest of them to leave. He stood in the middle of the living room, like some mischievous boy meeting the headmaster after doing something naughty. Melanie paced around the room, and until everyone had left did she speak.

" What is your take on this?" Melanie asked.

" ...Hmm?" Tryzen mused.

" Azaroth probably asked you to help, but you aren't part, or related to the army..."

" I'm sure the reason why you stalled me here has nothing to do with the army, whatever we will be doing next or whatever. Teranis and Grimjaw aren't affiliated with the army, and I don't see you asking them this question," Tryzen replied. Melanie felt taken aback, as if he had thrown cold water at her face. Did Tryzen pick up this sort of spunk from Azaroth, or was it the other way around? " Just to let you know, I'll be glad to help you on your mission, seeing that you will need some manpower which you will obviously lack due to the circumstances. Sapphire is part of the reserve army, and Azaroth will company you anyway. I feel compelled to come as well, since I knew Meillienne personally now. I hope that answers your unintended question."

" Now, what exactly do you want to ask me about?" Tryzen asked.

Melanie paused. It was as if Tryzen had already expected this. Either this man' intellect has been leveled to a plane that was beyond human comparison, or she was being a bit slow.

" I know the slightly bad blood we shared, but trust me, I don't blame you at all, and I'm sure Azaroth doesn't as well," Tryzen replied, seeing when she did not answer.

" Azaroth has nothing..." Melanie started, raising her voice.

" I hear you have promoted him. I must thank you for taking care of him for the last 2 years. Must be troublesome, eh?" Tryzen said, flashing her a boyish grin.

Melanie sighed, wondering what to make of this wizard. " So tell me, did he pick up his spunk from you, or was it vice versa?"

" He picked up my language, I picked up his attitude," Tryzen answered. _Fair enough..._Melanie thought.

" Earlier," Melanie started. " When I said that my Holarian Limit was 50, why did you look at me oddly?"

" In theory, there are actually three odd Holarian Limit levels," Tryzen replied, getting straight to the point.

" What?"

" 0 and 100 aren't the only two special ones. Yours is as well," Tryzen replied.

" What so odd about it? I doubt I have anything special," Melanie argued.

" Perhaps, but maybe it's just me. Because if I recall correctly, in the entire log of people with their Holarian Limits that has been recorded in the army archives, thanks to Sapphire, I found out that nobody, ever, in the history of Rune-Midgard, has ever got a Holarian Limit of 50. You are, I believe, a first," Tryzen answered in a deadpan manner.

_Writer's note: The Holarian Limit was just a concept I wanted to bring in for the sake of the story later on_


	8. Chapter 7: Semilia's Companions

**Chapter 7: Semilia's Companions**

The sun had not yet peeked out from the horizon, but Melanie could be found walking around the corridors of the barracks. The time was already at hand and they had to get ready to leave. Melanie was already dressed up fully for the occasion. Her full-plate elunium armour gleamed under whatever light that was thrown by the nearby torches that lined up the corridors to light up the area. Her metal greaves clanked loudly as she went down the stairs, heading towards the barracks area where Azaroth slept.

She rapped the door and waited for him to answer. There was a slight pause, then some footsteps came up towards the door. " Azaroth, we need to…whoa, Selene, why are you here?!" Melanie exclaimed in mid-sentence when the person who greeted her wasn't a male, but someone dressed in a priestess uniform.

" I'm sleeping here. Azaroth allowed me use his quarters to save me the trouble of moving so far away from mine. Have you forgotten?" Selene asked.

" I…no…oh hell, I guess I did," Melanie stammered, and both of them chuckled for a while, breaking the morning blues. " Selene, it's better if you don't come. You still have not recovered fully from the previous attack. I hate to…"

" I want to, Selene. The acolytes were my responsibility, and I feel compelled…"

" Commander Aesis said there was a mole…"

" Nevertheless, they were still my responsibility, and as their mentor, I should see it through. I won't come if you order me to, but I'm sure you could still use someone like me. I ask this as a favour," Selene replied. Melanie kept quiet, not wanting to argue with her friend. It took a while before another figure appeared right behind the door, carrying a tray on her hands.

" Smooth, real smooth, Selene. There is no way she's going to refuse that after you say it that way," Teranis said, still in her nightclothes. " Toast, Commander? They are pretty good, and you should have them when they are warm. We've got some Geffenian Coffee, but as Tryzen has vouched, they taste as good as Lunatic dung, but at least it will keep you awake."

" No thank you. I'm done with breakfast. Get ready soon. We'll be leaving shortly," Melanie said. " Where is Azaroth, by the way?"

--

Azaroth liked the quiet streets of Prontera. It was so much more peaceful and serene in the early mornings, when the farmers haven't woken up to tend their vegetables, the mother buying goods and the merchants haggling their goods. The city was in a technical sense, asleep, not soundly, but quiet enough. It reminded him of the times in his old village. It was always quiet there, whatever the occasion.

He strolled along the inns, trying to find the one Vermillion was sleeping in. Vermillion was nice enough to rent a place for Semilia and her pets, so that they didn't have to sleep in the lousier barrack rooms the army could only supply. She apparently went to speak with them last night, but when Azaroth found her bed empty this morning, it was obvious she stayed up too late last night and crashed at their place. He decided he better find her and wake her up, since it takes a while for her to warm-up, as Azaroth knew her character pretty well.

He entered one of the inns and walked through the tavern, giving the barkeeper a customary nod and heading towards the upper floors. He remembered the room number, and spun left and rapped on the door. Something large moved towards the door, and Azaroth could only guess it was Iris, and indeed it was when the towering figure opened the door. Azaroth wondered how she got in through the front door in the first place, since it didn't seem big enough to let her pass.

" Ah, Commander Azaroth…" she spoke in her usual slithery tone.

" Sorry, I'm not of a Commander rank yet. You can call me Lieutenant if you wish," Azaroth chuckled.

" I assume you are here for your friend," she replied.

" Yes, I hope she wasn't of too much trouble," Azaroth said.

" Nope, she slept quietly all night," Crystal said, bowing at him.

" No, that wasn't what I…nevermind," Azaroth said, changing his mind on pursuing the matter further.

" Want some refreshment? We've got breakfast ready," Iris spoke.

Azaroth attempted to glance through the both of them to peek inside the room. " Err…who cooked?" Azaroth asked tentatively.

" I assure you that I won't swallow you whole if you don't like my egg," Iris replied, smiling.

Azaroth shrugged his shoulders in indifference. " Alright, I haven't gotten breakfast myself. I could use something to eat," Azaroth said. Iris slithered aside and Azaroth stepped into the room. It was a fairly large one, possibly rented to accommodate the space Iris could take up. A table was set with some utensils and steaming cups.

" Ah!"

Azaroth spun around to see a Bongun, just about his height, bounce along right next to him. His face was mostly obscured by the paper seal that hung from his hat, but somehow Azaroth could sense that he was feeling elated somehow.

" You are they guy Pippy hates! Nice to meet you, the name's Obelisk, but I'm sure you know that by now. Nice room by the way. V such a nice person, although I must say she can get violent at times, but drink usually solves the problem. I don't think we did overdose her with alcohol, even if she looked like she was past the limit. How's your day?" the bongun spoke.

Azaroth didn't manage to catch most of what Obelisk was saying, due to the fact that he spoke at such speeds that were not normal, but he managed to catch at least one word. " Pippy?" he mused.

" That's what he likes to call her," Iris replied.

" So, why does she hate me?" Azaroth casually asked.

" That's cos she thinks…"

Obelisk didn't manage to finish his sentence. Iris bounded across the room, and wrapped Obelisk in an instant with the huge lower body of hers, coiling around him like any snake could, covering his mouth especially. " I thought Semilia told you not to say anything," Iris scolded. " I'm afraid, Lieutenant Azaroth, Semilia had not asked us to…"

" I understand, say no more. If she wants to tell me, she will in due time," Azaroth said, raising his hands to indicate the subject should not be touched. " Come, food's getting cold," he replied, changing the topic in an instant.

Breakfast was relatively simple: some bread with half-boiled eggs. Azaroth took up a up where Iris had cracked two eggs for him. They were in perfect condition, like the way he preferred them: soft, runny, but still white enough. Dropping in a pinch of salt and a good dose of pepper, he gulp down two of them at one go, much to the rest of their astonishment.

" You are supposed to…" Crystal started.

" I don't eat them with bread…habit, you could say," Azaroth answered.

This was indeed an odd collection of pets. Azaroth couldn't imagine all of them following Semilia, even on missions like these. First, there was Iris, with her redish-brown skin, standing over Azaroth, easily covering him with her height. For her species, she was very adventurous and linguistic. Most Irises, even kept as pets, usually stayed in one place. Most of the them do not linger from the tombs they guard in Morroc, old pets of the Morrocan pharaohs. Most of them don't even speak Common, since they have problem speaking the common language using their forked tongues. Iris have a very heavy, 'snake-like' accent, typical, but still her words were understandable. She was also unbelievably strong, as her body was cracking with all her sinews bulging all over her body. Nevertheless, she still looked fairly attractive, despite being a snakewoman. This might be mainly due to the fact that her upper half was female, and she didn't have any clothes on. Azaroth made the effort to not look at her front chest too often.

Crystal was like some apologizing servant, but a Sohee nonetheless. It was common for Sohees to speak the human language, but they usually stayed silent at most times. Crystal spoke a lot for her species, but it wasn't really abnormal. She had a moonlight coloured skin, pale and white, and Azaroth suspected that she would probably glow in the absence of light. Crystal had a round face, a little chubby on the sides but it only made her so much more attractive, despite having black eyes and a demon body. Her long, silky black hair was nicely laid out along her back, not fluttering around like some enraged monster he always heard tales of.

Obelisk and Peineya, who was standing by the corner pretending to be a piece of furniture, were the typical Bongun and Munak, although he had not found anything that could talk so fast and much like Obelisk. Both of them had old, slightly dirty clothes on, but they didn't seem to bother about it, just like they didn't seem bothered that they kept bouncing around the place at all times. Although they look human, in truth, they are actually undead beings, but still retain most of their human characteristics. Observing carefully, Azaroth saw that Peineya looked like some young teenage girl, with black locks. _Was she cursed when she was that young?_

Some muffling noise brought him back to the present. He then realized that Iris had not released Obelisk as of yet, and he was waving his arms all about as he tried to free himself. " Don't mind him, he's too noisy in my opinion, so we have to keep him quiet once in a while," Iris explained. " Relax, I like bullying him anyway."

" So, how did Semilia managed to keep you all as pets, if I may ask?" Azaroth asked.

" We aren't…pets," Crystal replied.

" Not pets…then, are you following Semilia on your own accord?" Azaroth asked, raising his eyebrows. All of them, including Peineya, nodded their heads, except for Obelisk, since he was unable to do so since he was still wrapped in Iris's coils.

" I was…I guess you could call me a rebel. I wasn't too interested in staying underground guarding some tomb of someone I didn't know. Most of my sisters objected in me wanting to leave the place just to explore a little but, but they didn't stop me. Semilia was the first person I met, and she said she could use some company in her travels, so I decided to stay around with her. I've stuck with her since then, eating off people she dislikes," Iris replied, sounding gleeful all of a sudden, as if eating people was something good, before noticing Azaroth's green looks. " Not that I'd eat you. She hasn't asked me to do anything of that sort…yet."

" Crystal was originally caught by some merchant, using the innate magic of the silver knife to bind her to his will. He was awful with her, since she was more of a servant to him, and he made her do horrible stuff. You know: beautiful looks, female, nice…"

" I get the picture," Azaroth said quickly as she noticed the Sohee blushing all of a sudden, which was something really.

" So, Semilia managed to stumble upon him in Payon, and needless to say, I had another meal that day. Crystal was free to go, but since she was grateful for Semilia's deeds, she decided to stay and serve Semilia. Perhaps Semilia was a little irritated at her presence, but she's grown to like her anyway."

" You make it sound as if her presence was a chore to Semilia," Azaroth replied.

" Well, you must know that before that, she managed to get Peineya and Obelisk to tag along, and you know that Obelisk can get irritating. She's got 3 odd monsters following her around. I think there is a limit on how much she can accept," Iris replied.

" 3? I thought…"

" Patch is her only pet, real pet, that is, and a very comfortable mattress as well," Obelisk replied, squeezing out from Iris's grasp and managing to free his mouth to speak.

" I see…wait, mattress?" Azaroth exclaimed, slightly confused at the statement.

" Well, more like a fluffy pillow, actually," Crystal replied.

" …I don't think I'm following here…"

" Nothing to it really, it's just that Semilia likes using Patch like a pillow of sorts, since he's full of nice soft fur. She sleeps on him really," Iris replied.

" Talking of sleep, where is Vermillion anyway?" Azaroth asked, looking around.

Iris, Crystal, Obelisk and Peineya all turned in a certain direction and pointed their fingers there. Azaroth looked behind him to see Vermillion rolled up messily on the room's couch, a hand on the floor and a leg up the side, looking rather wasted. Azaroth sighed as he got up and walked towards the snoring figure of the drunken monk, and tapped her lightly.

" Hey sleepy-head, wake up. It's almost time to move out," Azaroth said, nudging her slightly.

" Is that so?" a cold voice asked. Azaroth didn't need to be told who it was.

Semilia stood by the door, her equipment packed, and her bow slung over her shoulders with her quiver packed with an assortment of arrows. Not the typical hunter he'd expect, but a skilled one nonetheless from the looks of her air and body. Her wolf pet, Patch, stood outside the door, growling at him. Either the wolf shared its master's sentiments about Azaroth, or he was just being disliked in general.

" That's right," Azaroth replied, keeping his voice even. There was no need to start a fight here, and for diplomatic reasons as well.

Thankfully, Semilia didn't bother with him too much. She tightened her grip on the bow slung over her shoulders and walked out, presumably to the barracks to meet up with Melanie, her wolf following closely behind her as they left. Azaroth breathed a sigh of relief. " Come girls, let's go," Semilia replied, and her pet companions in the room started to shuffle out of the room.

" Get up now!" Azaroth exclaimed, slapping Vermillion on her cheeks.

-

Azaroth saw Tryzen milling about the outside of the barracks with his wife, Sapphire by his side as Vermillion followed him quietly. He gave a casual wave, and the customary handshake when they met. " So, what now?" Tryzen asked.

" Why are you so into this mission anyway? It's not like you have an obligation to serve the army," Azaroth asked.

" But I can…but this might be for personal reasons anyway. I'd like to help rescue Meillienne anyway if I can, and I'm not leaving Sapphire to do this crummy stuff alone anyway," Tryzen replied.

" She isn't alone," Azaroth corrected.

" Let me rephrase that: do this crummy stuff without 'me'," Tryzen replied.

" Since when did she know Melanie?" Azaroth asked.

" What? Oh well, casually. They went to the novice academy years ago together. Besides, Sapphire is in the reserve army anyway, so by all means, she is obligated to help out if Melanie asks," Tryzen replied. Azaroth thought that might make sense. The reserve army were people who were associated to the army, but never on active duty. People like Sapphire carry out their usual everyday stuff they do, mobilizing only when the army needs them, usually in an emergency, or to take over army related tasks when no army personal are around.

" So, why are you…"

" Can it, will you?! I've had less trouble taking down undead shit than talking to you right now? What's up with all the questions?" Tryzen laughed.

" Punk," Azaroth muttered.

" Army-loving, self-jacking, pompous prick," Tryzen shot back.

" You know I can't win you in words," Azaroth said, shrugging.

" Then don't start," Tryzen replied, grinning. He threw his arms over Azaroth and pulled him along. " I'll just stick around for a while, alright? I'm sure you can't have too much problems with that. What's the worse that could happen?"

" Azaroth!"

All of then turned around to see Melanie coming up behind them, marching towards her intended target with purpose in her steps. Melanie merely nudged her head slightly without slowing down a step, but Azaroth quickly followed her nonetheless.

" I've got everyone assembled already, so we shall be leaving soon," Melanie replied.

" Where to?" Vermillion asked.

" Morroc, V, were't you listening yesterday? Treiken's last sighting besides the forests north of here where he ambushed Selene's party, according to Grimjaw, was in the city of Morroc. We have no idea what he was doing there, but if we can get some clue to what he is up to, we might be able to track him down somehow. If he has associated himself with the Deathguise guild, we will need to track him down properly and Morroc will be a good place to start," Melanie said.

" How many of us are coming exactly, Melanie?" Sapphire asked.

" The team comprises of Azaroth, you and Tryzen, Grimjaw, Selene and Teranis, Flick and Camelia, Vermillion, Maycron and Soreen, plus Semilia and her pet companions…and me. 13 people and 5 animals," Melanie replied.

" That's…quite a large force," Tryzen replied.

" Perhaps, but perhaps not. It will depend on the situation," Melanie replied.

" So, how'd you two meet?" Azaroth asked all of a sudden.

Everyone paused when he said that. The statement was just so out of place it didn't sound normal.

" Excuse me?!" Melanie asked, confounded.

" Isn't it very much of a coincidence that my wizard's friend's significant other knows my Squadron commander? How'd you meet?" Azaroth asked.

Sapphire and Melanie looked at each other awkwardly, not too sure how to answer the question. Melanie frowned at Azaroth, then said " We met a long time ago, but this is not the time to be sentimental. I expect no such further questions in the future, Azaroth, if you know what's good for you," before storming off.


	9. Chapter 8: Scouting in Morroc

**Chapter 8: Scouting in Morroc**

Once more, after two years, Azaroth found himself back in the desert city of Morroc, the dark, desolate place where thievery and cunning thrive, where the strong bully the weak, and a place where a battle is fought all the time. A once prosperous city, it had fallen to what it is today due to bad governing systems, along with tribe and guild wars that occur frequently. Prontera has no control in this place, neither the army, the church, or the reigning royal family. To take over would mean to start a war, something nobody was particularly interested, since all they would win would be a barren piece of land that was not worth anything, but sand and blood.

Nevertheless, the sight of the sand buildings and the dunes that surrounded the place made him feel nostalgic somehow. Coming here a couple of years ago was part of some event that changed his simple life forever.

There was a quick shuffling of feet, and Grimjaw passed him quickly, eager to enter the city. Azaroth held out his hand quickly and grabbed his jacket to stop him. Grimjaw spun around in an agitated manner, and snarled " What now?! We are here already! We should go now!"

" Listen, Grimjaw, we are here on a mission, and for the mission, there are rules. I know you want to rescue Meillienne, because she is important to you, but trust me, she's important to us as well, and we want to see this through. Your hot-headed manner is going to bring all of us down, even if you do know more of Morroc than all of us combined," Azaroth replied, holding tightly on the lapels of his jacket to keep him from leaving.

" Since when have you become the army's lapdog? I thought you were better than that, Azy," Grimjaw snarled. Blood suddenly rushed to Azaroth's head when he said that. _What the…he did not just spoke those words, did he?!_

However, Grimjaw's face suddenly fell, and he pulled Azaroth's hand away from his jacket. " Sorry…I didn't mean it…I just…" Grimjaw muttered, before dropping on his knees, sighing loudly, covering his face with his left hand. Azaroth watched him pathetically, unable to get angry at him with his previous statement.

He bent down and pulled Grimjaw to his feet. " Come now, I know you didn't. I understand she is important to you, so I'll help you get her back, alright? I've got a debt to pay," Azaroth said, with Grimjaw looking at him with a mixed expression of apathy and confusion. " What's this? Where was the attitude I once knew that resided in Grimjaw Windwalker, best rogue of the east side desert?"

Grimjaw got up, and nodded his head. " Let's go wizard hunting," he replied sternly.

" Sounds like a good idea…just keep low for a while, alright?" Azaroth warned.

-

Teranis eyed her surroundings cautiously as she walked through the streets of Morroc. She had been told to look as threatening as possible, but spending most of her life behind a bookshelf didn't really help in that matter. She had a thick cloak to hide most of her face as she moved about in the city. Her gray drabs and dark colour thankfully didn't draw too much attention towards her. More attention was drawn, however, towards her half-snake partner.

" Back off, unless you want me to bite you!" Iris hissed loudly as two thieves came a little to close to them, baring her fangs dangerous at both of them.

" What the…?!" one of the thives, a short blonde guy exclaimed as he backed up a few paces. " Hey, woman, keep your damn pet in control!" he shouted at Teranis.

" Hey, it's not like I'm going to take responsibility for her biting you, right?" Teranis retorted to the best of her ability. The two thieves shot her looks, but nonetheless, stayed away and continued on. Breathing a sigh of relief, she turned to Iris and said " Are you sure about this? Honestly, I'm not much of a combatant. It might be risky of me being here."

" Relex, I'm more than a match for most of these bastards. They'll serve me well as a side-dish at best," Iris hissed, sliding her forked tongue in and out. " You don't have to worry about a thing."

" I heard you save Selene back then. You have my thanks, Iris," Teranis spoke.

" Think nothing about it," Iris answered.

All of them arrived in Morroc using warp portals in two groups: Azaroth leading the scouting group, while Melanie bringing the rest up in the rear. One of the problems they faced was that army officials were looked down upon in Morroc. Thus, Melanie and her army companions, Flick and Camelia, along with members of the church, might rouse suspicion if they were to enter the city. The only people who could go in without causing trouble by blending in the crowd would be: Azaroth, Grimjaw, Teranis, Iris, Sapphire, Tryzen, Semilia and Vermillion. The rest of them were out of place, or would attract too much attention.

Secondly, they could not go in a group. Doing this would cause too much attention, something they really needed to avoid. Thus, he split them all up accordingly into pairs and they would search the city at different locations. They were to periodically meet Melanie and the rest of them outside the desert at a designated spot in 2 hour intervals, whether they found anything or not.

Teranis wondered if she was blending in the crowd enough. She was posing as some wandering alchemist visiting the place. Nothing wrong with that, and having an Iris as a pet wasn't something abnormal, although it did draw a few looks, but nothing more. Iris was threatening enough to keep anyone at bay.

" Where should we start?" Teranis mused, looking at the dusty, yellow coloured streets.

-

Melanie sat on top one of the higher parts of the ruins. Surrounding the city of Morroc were ruins, old buildings made of stone that had gone into disrepair and turned back to the sand pieces that they were before, signifying that the entire scope of the original city was larger than the present day. They had managed to make camp on one of the ruin sites, and the rest of them were resting in the shade. Melanie had picked one of the higher broken walls in the place, hoisting herself up with relative ease despite her bulky armour, and sat down, one leg on top of the wall and the other precariously hanging over the edge, watching the city at the horizon.

" Wha'cha doing?" Flick asked, stepping out from the cover of one of the buildings to look at Melanie.

" Just keeping a lookout. Just in case of an emergency, they've got flares with them. If lighted, I want to be the first to see them," Melanie replied, her eyes scanning the horizon.

" I'm sure with Azaroth helming the mission, I doubt we can get up to too much trouble," Camelia replied, emerging from the same place Flick emerged from. " I'm surprised you pulled us along for this lousy excuse for a mission. Got no one else?"

Melanie gave her a broad grin. " Perhaps," she answered, before raising her voice to allow it to be carried over some distance. " Selene, how are you feeling?"

Selene stepped out from behind a wall, shading herself from the sun. She looked a little weak on her feet, but Melanie could not blame her since she had only recently recovered. She was worried the priestess might stress herself out too much. It was a bad idea to bring recently invalid officers into the field, but Melanie had never objected to Selene's requests most of the time.

" I'm fine," Selene answered quietly. She didn't elaborate any further than that. Perhaps she was just as worried about Meillienne as her brother was. At least that was something they shared in common. Selene had grown fond of Meillienne, being a personal student of hers when Reinne was too busy to take care of her with army problems. Soreen always commented that they looked cute together. Now without her, Melanie seemed to spot all the haggardness her good friend's face fielded.

" Take care of yourself. We'll get her back," Melanie said, thumbing her sheath. She knew results could not be achieved so easily, but it still didn't make her any less impatient.

She took some time to look around her surroundings and her companions. There was a lone cactus to keep them company besides the broken down ruins. Maycron and Soreen were by one of the broken walls, talking to themselves. Crystal was sitting next to Patch, who looked really disgruntled since his master was missing, and it didn't help matters with Obelisk talking to Peineya who wasn't replying. After a while, she got bored, and returned to looking at the city, the hot sun making her vision look hazy somehow.

-

" You seem comfortable here. Do you come here often?" Semilia asked.

" Yes, on several occasions," Vermillion answered.

Both Semilia and Vermillion were paired together. Vermillion clearly remembered Azaroth facing difficultly attempting to order Semilia around. It was clear that she didn't like him one bit, and that didn't help things. In the end, Azaroth gave up trying to discuss things with her, and asked Vermillion to just go with her, comparing her 'to talking to a dead zombie'.

" I think she is still close enough to hear you," Vermillion told him.

" Screw that bitch," Azaroth muttered under his breath. He was clearly not happy, nor impressed, with her attitude, and he could care less at the moment. " Just get her out of my sight, will you? Drinks on me if you can do it within the next 5 seconds. We can work out why she hates me later…"

Vermillion noticed that Semilia was observing her, not obviously, but very subtly. Despite being from the Pronteran church, Vermillion still knew how to act like one from Morroc. She did a lot of travelling in her younger years before settling down in the church, and she picked up a lot of habits easily. She had some sort of arrogant swagger in her step, her back hunched slightly and her hood pulled up as far as it would go. She looked just like one of the regular monks who had defected from Prontera or just had nothing else better to do but hang around in the city of Thieves. From her looks, she was quite impressed at Vermillion's ability to 'blend-in'.

Semilia had much more trouble. Vermillion had to get some robes and cover her almost completely. Needless to say, having an elf wandering around in Morroc might raise some questions. She had most of her garments covering her, and she looked like some strange hunter following the monk, unable to hide her bow from sight. The odd pair, a hunter and a monk, walked down the streets, looking like they were part of the city.

" I travelled her before, and I picked up some 'useful' habits, I must say," Vermillion said. " Besides, nobody would be in the right mind to pick a fight with me." Saying that, Vermillion suddenly glared at a nearby peasant, fiddling with her fist weapons in her hands. The terrified man fled the place, scared to stay too long with Vermillion around. " See?"

" I'm impressed," Semilia replied, although her tone was monotonous.

" That's something now, especially coming from an elf," Vermillion replied.

" Is that how you humans see my race?" Semilia asked, with a hint of annoyance.

" Not really…I just miss comments from my friend…" Vermillion said.

" …An elf?"

" Yes," Vermillion said moodily. " I used to have an elf as a friend. Really cheerful girl, always bright, talkative, and always good for company. I don't know if you know her, but her name was…"

" Serene."

" Serene, that's right. I met her through Azaroth really. She used to visit his place up north in his old farming village where he used to live, but no more. It was sad that…" Vermillion spoke, before stopping in her tracks. "…How'd you know her name?"

Semilia looked at her with a distant look, her eyes seemed to be mingled with pity and sadness. " I'm sorry for your loss, Vermillion. I'm sure Serene was a very good friend," she said, before looking at a tavern. " Let's just look here, shall we?" she asked, changing the topic instantly.

-

" We should get some cover. I feel a bit exposed without anything hiding my face," Sapphire stated.

" You've got a pretty face," Tryzen replied.

" Shut up, Tryzen. I'm trying to be serious here," Sapphire argued.

" Relax, hiding our faces won't help much. Besides, I doubt that many people will recognize us here. Covering my face is about as cumbersome as channeling magic through my foot, I assure you," Tryzen replied. Sapphire sighed. It could be sometimes a little difficult to try to convince Tryzen when he had his mind made up, so she didn't bother arguing with him and hoped he was correct.

Sapphire and Tryzen took to watching the northern part of the business district of the area. As they walked by, they could see stalls selling their wares, usually items that could not be obtained anywhere else since they were illegal. People milled around the streets, while urchins ran about, lurking around and probably trying make a living by stealing something.

" As always, Morroc is as vile as it has always been," Sapphire muttered under her breath.

" I can't argue any further," Tryzen replied. " Besides…"

A sudden figure bumping into him stopped him from completing his sentence. A thief quickly ran past him, and Sapphire spotted a money bag in his hand. It was obvious that he had just robbed Tryzen. " Why that little rascal…" Sapphire exclaimed, but Tryzen held her back.

" Relax, that was just what I wanted," he said calmly. Sapphire wasn't sure what Tryzen was up to, but he was quite sure that he wasn't mad of delusional, so she trusted his instincts when he asked her to allow the thief to go free.

-

" This feels oddly nostalgic," Azaroth said to Grimjaw as he walked through a familiar bar in Tryhayren's dune. Some of the people looked up at him, but nothing more than that. Both of them passed through the crowd to head up to Tryhayren's office, if one could call it an office, at the back.

Grimjaw merely nodded, and didn't add any comment. Apparently, Tryhayren had not add any finishing touches since his absence, looking exactly the same with all the tables, harassed female waitresses and the alcohol stocked up by the side. They were here to get information, and Grimjaw's old boss was the best way to go.

Two guards stood outside the door leading to Tryhayren, and they asked Grimjaw to wait for her, since she was busy with someone. Grimjaw merely nodded and Azaroth folded his arms and leaned on the nearby wall. However, a rogue came up to him, fingering his dagger on his belt. Azaroth almost reactively drew his swords when he passed him and spoke to Grimjaw.

" Hey, Brilainne has been bugging me all week. Have you got the goods Tryhayren has asked?" the man asked in a sharp voice, not trying to sound rude but urgent.

" I already got it. Ask that fool of a woman to check her stores. The stuff is there," Grimjaw said.

The man merely shrugged, not wanting to argue any further, tottering off towards the bar to probably get another drink. It was not until he left that Grimjaw felt Azaroth's glaring looks bore through his head. Azaroth knew very well Grimjaw had honed his six sense to know he was glaring at him, but he purposely avoided looking at his face.

" I thought you said you gave up on this?" Azaroth asked, his voice dropping low. Grimjaw didn't answer him, but kept silent, as if it would solve matters. " I thought you said you hated this life, and you wanted to get out of it? Was this what Meillienne and Selene were angry with you about?"

" I…didn't have much of a choice," Grimjaw replied, before shooting a glance at Azaroth. He didn't look judgmental, but perhaps a little pissed that he failed to tell him such a thing. Azaroth had always thought he had other things to deal with in Morroc, but it was not in his place to judge him. Azaroth waited quietly for Grimjaw to speak for himself. If anything, he had the right to say what he needed to say for his behalf.

" As much as I wanted to leave my old life behind, I found that it is not that I don't want to, it's that I can't. Years of living here has made it my home, no matter what Meillienne or Selene can say about it. I was born as a rogue here, not by choice, but a rogue nonetheless. I did it all for Meillienne's sake, nothing more. No set amount of morals can change that, Azy. I could not find peace within the quiet walls of Prontera," Grimjaw spoke as Azaroth listened quietly.

" What was I to do in Prontera, or any other 'civilised' city, Azy? Nothing holds much for a rogue like me. I'll be looked upon with disdain from my lineage, and Meillienne could probably do better than have a rogue for a brother hanging around in the church grounds. My presence will probably cause her trouble anyway. There is nothing for me in Prontera. I've lived too long, I must admit, in Morroc to change my heart. The silent walls of the city aren't for me. I've lived a criminal life for too long. I can't change that, and I don't think I will. Meillienne and Selene don't understand that, and that's why they hate me for it. It's not like I do not care for Meillienne…it's just that, sometimes, I just want to do something for my sake, not just only hers."

Azaroth got the gist of what was happening, and he could somehow understand. As much as he could try to allow, Grimjaw was probably just out of place in Prontera. The capital city of Rune-Midguard held no holds on the rogue. A life of crime, that was what Grimjaw lived for. Perhaps for the better, since Morroc could use all the honest thieves it could afford.

" What do you say to that, Azaroth?" Grimjaw asked.

" Nothing…I told you, it isn't my place to judge other people," Azaroth replied quietly.

The door to Tryhayren's office opened after a while, signaling that she was ready for them. It also signaled that the time for this discussion was over, and both of them quietly entered the room.

-

A young boy in a messy, torn looking cloak ran through an alleyway, looking behind him to make sure that he wasn't followed by anyone. He slowed his run to a quick walk, and continued along his way, a moneybag in his hand. He struck lucky today. Apparently the foreigner wizard was not aware of Morrocan ways. Stealing his moneybag hanging by the side of his belt was just like taking candy from a baby, least for an experienced pickpocket of one such as him.

He paused in an alleyway, and after making sure he was alone for what must be the 6th time in a minute, he crouched down and cautiously opened the pouch he had stolen, least the wizard hid some magic contraption inside. However, that was not the case when he opened it and found a whole load of cash inside. The thief grinned slightly, knowing that this amount of money might feed him for quite some time.

" Stealing is a crime, isn't it?" a voice called out to him.

He instantly shot to his feet in alarm at the voice. A wizard stood at the far end of the alleyway, the very same wizard he had robbed. He turned around to flee, but a sage , his companion, was waiting at the other end. The wizard took careful, calculated strides towards the thief. His hand went for his knife, but the wizard drew his even quicker, blasting the small blade out from the side of the thief's jacket with a powerful bolt of electricity. The sage cuffed him on the back, and with a force which was rather tremendous, pushed him back and pinned him on the wall. The thief tried to struggle, but the wizard walked up and raised his palm right at his face. The crackling of pure lightning in his hands made the hair on his body stand all over.

" Why are we bothering with such a person?" Sapphire asked.

" Because he is easy to deal with. All the adult here are cutthroats, or people who might be cunning enough to lie to use. People like these kids who live off the streets are of no harm, but still, skilled in wielding information that might be useful to us. Showing a loose money bag was merely a lure to draw people like him out, and it was a simple procedure to just follow the faint trail of black sand I kept in the bag, seeping out through a hole…classic trick, Sapphire, my love," Tryzen spoke. " You must always find the most suitable sources of information. Krayken thought me as much."

" Yes, I'm sure you did," Sapphire said, forcing a grin.

The thief looked worriedly in panic at these two people, having no inkling of what they were talking about, perhaps because he was close to wetting his pants in fright. Tryzen took the moneybag from his trembling hands, then signaled Sapphire to release her grip on him. The powerful current of electricity slowly disappeared from his hands. Much to the theif's surprise, Tryzen dug into his money bag, and drew out an amount of coins, and kept the bag inside his coat. He took the boy's hands and placed the money on his palm.

" Now, that's yours if you can do me a favour," Tryzen said, winking.


	10. Chapter 9: Chain of Events

**Chapter 9: Chain of Events**

" Ah, the prodigal swordman returns. I must say, I haven't seen you in a while, Azaroth, ever since you left my place without any prior notice. A little miffed, but I assure you that I understand perfectly why you have to do it. Sit, please sit down," Tryhayren spoke to them in the same voice she used to greet Azaroth when she first met him. It felt as if he had never left. Snapping her fingers at once, a young girl by her side bowed and left towards the back portion to predictably get them some refreshments in the form of drinks.

" Well, a lot of things came up," Azaroth replied.

" Part of the army now, I see. Not here to cause trouble, are you, Azaroth?" Tryhayren asked casually.

" Not if I can help it," Azaroth replied. The girl returned with a tray of drinks in her hand, and Grimjaw picked a glass without looking, taking the entire drink in one gulp. Azaroth randomly picked one, only to realize this one had a very strong alcoholic smell. Believing this was a wrong choice, and wanting to change drinks, he found himself unable to as the girl had already left.

" So now, what business does a army official and his motley crew stationed all around Morroc want with me?" Tryhayren asked.

" …You don't seem to be bothering with the small talk," Grimjaw replied in an odd tone.

" Come now Grimjaw. You leave Morroc for a short period of time, only to return with a worried, anxious expression on your face and your good friend who is from the army. It doesn't need an ounce of my sixth sense to tell me that something is critically wrong, and the reason why you and your friend have come here is to ask for help, not to ask me what I need of you next. Now Grimjaw, I'm a fair employer, especially to my best employee," Tryhayren spoke casually, but with an odd seriousness dripping from her tone. " What do you need, Grimjaw?"

" Do you know where Treiken Varosious is? I believe he might be in Morroc," Grimjaw replied.

" I expect some payment for this information," Tryhayren replied.

" We'll see what we can offer," Azaroth replied.

" Azaroth, you should know that when I ask for a method of payment, especially from Grimjaw, it's always within his boundary to pay for it," Tryhayren replied, taking a sip of her drink, which was on her desk. She leaned forward and suddenly whispered. " I want you to kill him, painfully, if you can possibly do so, Grimjaw. Now, as for his location, he's on the Third Street on the East side, up on the 14th house on the right. No way you can miss that."

-

" I'm not sure what he does, Mister T, but that man you speak off goes in and out of that house a few times. I saw him, along with a ragtag bunch of people. He stays there," the thief spoke. Tryzen and Sapphire looked out at the place the thief had pointed to. It was just a simple house, as like the rest of the Morrocan houses that littered the area. Few people could be seen wandering around the area, and Tryzen was almost sure that they were there to guard the place.

" Good boy, here's a tip," Tryzen said, flicking him another zenny coin. The thief's features lighted up as he caught the coin. " Now, things are going to get a little hairy here, so it's best if you make yourself scarce." The boy obeyed at once. It took him 4 seconds to leave the area and another 4 seconds to make his presence disappear from the place.

" So, what do we do now?"Sapphire asked. It was quite obvious they could not storm in the place without making a fuss, and attention is something they did not need right now. However, they probably needed to make sure about things.

" Leave this to me," Tryzen said, stepping out into the streets and walking towards the house.

-

" This bar sucks," Vermillion muttered under her breath. " I hate this cheap distilled wine they are serving. It cheap for a cup of alcohol, but it sucks nonetheless."

Semilia didn't really answer, but sip her cup quietly while her eyes quickly scanned the entire area all over again. They were not too sure where exactly to start the search, so they decided to do it manually, going to the taverns one by one to look for Treiken, or any word that was spoken about him. Her sharp eyes scanned the room slowly for any signs of Treiken. It was an almost futile search, but still they had to try. They didn't dare talk with anyone, since they were foreign, and they were unlikely to obtain any information and cause some attention to fall to them.

Vermillion wasn't really looking around the tavern. Her thoughts were still focused on Semilia's comments on Serene. Perhaps it wasn't odd that she could have guess it was Serene. Elves lived in a tight community, or so she heard, and even 'domesticated' ones still kept in contact with the rest of them. Perhaps Semilia knew Serene, or guessed that she had been missing, and just blurted out an answer that might have been obviously obvious to her.

Coincidences don't happen often though, not in Vermillion's life that is.

" Are we done?" Vermillion asked.

Semilia merely sighed. There was no sight of the man they were hunting. She was getting tired of this, but she knew she had a duty to accomplish, and she had to see it through. At least the cynical and wiry remarks of this monk kept her company. Semilia felt odd, this was the first time she appreciated some human's company, even if she was…

" Yes, he's not here," Semilia said.

They dropped their glasses on the bar and started to leave. Vermillion pushed past the wooden door, forcing a man to step aside as she barged out of the place. Semilia followed her closely, before noticing the robes the man had on him. As the door closed, Vermillion stopped walking when she saw Semilia staring at the door of the tavern, looking very surprised.

-

" We've been walking around for a while now, but so far, not good," Teranis replied as she surveyed the entire area. Iris was busy trying to keep people at bay as she slithered along the road. Teranis yawned slightly, which surprised herself, She was tired and bored of this desert city enough to yawn. Iris caught Teranis's actions, but didn't comment upon it. However, her face light up all of a sudden.

" Hey, isn't that the wizard...what's his name...Tryzen...what's he doing walking towards that house?" Iris replied all of a sudden.

-

" What?" Vermillion exclaimed.

" I saw him...Treiken just entered the bar," Semilia replied.

This was an unexpected turn of events. Their target had all of a sudden appeared in the middle of a tavern, casually strolling into a bar. The idea itself was just too much to imagine, and with that, they stood in the middle of the street, unsure of what to do. Vermillion broke the silence by slamming her fists together loudly, her knuckles crackling under the pressure she applied.

" Perfect...I want to teach him a lesson," she snarled.

However, before either of them could do anything, a familiar figure of a rogue ran right past them. Grimjaw ran past them at top speed, not even bothering with them, although maybe it was due to the speed he was running at that he was incapable of seeing them. He wasn't alone, however. Right behind him, eight other people were right behind his back.

" What the hell is going on in this place?!" Vermillion exclaimed. All the activity that was happening all at once was just too much for her to take. Semilia whipped out her bow and Vermillion readied herself in a fighting stance as the pursuers closed in.

-

Things happened so fast within the next few seconds, Azaroth somehow wondered why he couldn't react to them earlier. A minute ago, he was in Tryhayren's office. Right now, he was running at top speed in Morroc, most likely attracting the attention of all the people present and this was probably the reaosn why he felt he had people chasing him from behind.

The minute Grimjaw heard Tryhayren speak, he dashed out of the door, his weapons in his hands in an instant. He flew out the door so fast Azaroth wasn't even sure what happened. When Azaroth came to his senses, and realised that Grimjaw was rushing foolishly rushing towards where Treiken was located. He had not expected Grimjaw to react as such. His actions, although may bring a quick solution, will bring too much attention toward them.

" Fuck!" was the only thing Azaroth could muster to say as he tore after Grimjaw, 10 seconds behind him.

Azaroth was a fast runner, but his speed could not keep up with Grimjaw, especially when his concern for his sister was blinding him to act so rashly. He didn't expect it to spiral so fast out of control. Perhaps bringing Grimjaw along was a bad idea, no matter how important he was to Azaroth and the person that was invovled. Grimjaw entered the edges of the city just as Azaroth exited Tryhayren's dune.

Azaroth knew he could not afford to lose Grimjaw. He was still unfamiliar with the streets, and there was no way with the instructions Tryhayren gave he could ever figure out a way to get to the destination. But it was a futile attempt. As soon as he entered the city limits, Grimjaw was nowhere in sight, and there was a lot of unwanted attention being directed to him as the people around him looked at him and whispered to one another.

Azaroth knew Grimjaw will draw too much attention now, and with that, the rest of them were at risk. The entire plan was ruined and they needed to get out right now. Azaroth dug through his pouch and took out a small cylindrical object. It was one of the flares Melanie had given to all of them when they entered the city. Just in case there was any emergency, pulling the flare will get Melanie to step in, provide some support, and hopefully with the help of warp portals, get out unharmed.

Azaroth aimed upwards and pulled the base, but the flare didn't ignite. Azaroth cursed as he tried to loosen the cap on top that held the thing too tightly. Try as he might, the flare's cap was just too hard for him to loosen. He gave it one last tug, and all of a sudden, it burst open. However, at that time, the flare was accidentally pointed to the ground. It went off, and shot his leg. He leaped around as the fire of the flare sizzled on his leg as he attempted to kick it off.

" This is getting from bad to worse," Azaroth muttered.

-

" Tryzen..." Teranis whispered to him as he walked across the street. Tryzen paused as he saw Teranis and Iris coming up to him.

" Hmm, you two..." he muttered.

" I thought you were not supposed to be checking this side of the city. What's with the break of formation?" Iris asked. Tryzen glared at her slightly. It was surprising to find that a creature like her was so analytical about such things, although Tryzen reminded himself that he shouldn't really underestimate these creatures intellect. Sapphire came up when the arrived, and the four of them united for a while.

" My sources tell me that Treiken is in, or has been in this house," Tryzen said, nudging his head to the side.

" Really now? So, what do we do about it?" Teranis asked.

A sudden noise interrupted them all of a sudden. Looking up towards the rooftops, they suddenly saw Grimjaw running a top speed towards the stated building. With one swift jump, he leaped from the rooftop and flew in a sharp arc that sent him smashing through one of the windows, showering them with shards of glass. They raised their hands instinctively to guard themselves minimally from the broken pieces of glass.

" What the hell is Grimjaw thinking?!" Teranis exclaimed.

Tryzen carefully scanned the streets. Right now, people started to emerge at all corners. Grimjaw's actions had drawn too much attention. People probably associated with Treiken. He was with a band of rogues and bandits when he attacked Selene's troop. There was no reason to not believe that they were not around.

" Well, I was planning to check the house a little bit, but it looks like we have a problems on our hands," Tryzen said. " Light your flares."

-

" You know, if you are going to stay any longer in the sun, you might get a stroke, Melanie. Now, why don't you get down and stay in the shade before you turn yourself a darker shade of brown, eh?" Flick suggested. Melanie decided to ignore him. He could be quite persistent in asking her to do things, and it was the third time he had been asking. " It's not like they are going to light a flare anytime soon."

" Just shut up and let her be, won't you?" Camelia reprimanded her comrade.

" Just making a point," Flick replied.

Melanie didn't reply and merely kept her eyes trained on the horizon for any signs of absolutely anything. She took a long sip from her canteen, and returned her attention towards the city. All the voices she heard below her were insignificant.

" Guys, don't waste your energy anymore with some pointless arguing. Let's conserve it for the time when we need to use it, alright?" Selene asked.

" Yeah, listen to the priestess at least if you don't vaguely listen to me," Melanie replied, only to see five flares go up into the air almost simultaneously.


	11. Chapter 10: Skirmish in the Desert

**Chapter 10: Skirmish in the Desert**

" This place is too open," Vermillion replied.

" I can't agree more," Semilia answered back.

Within the next second, both of them made their way to the left, entering a small, dark alleyway. Some of the men chasing Grimjaw broke away from the chase, and followed them into the alleyway. Semilia turned around and glanced at their pursuers. There were a total of eight of them chasing them: three rogues, two assassins, a swordsman, a hunter and a wizard.

" We've got eight people for company," Semilia replied.

" Nothing we can't handle," Vermillion replied.

They moved about in the alleyways, zigzaging all the way, Vermillion picking the path seemingly at random as the rest of them followed closely. Semilia narrowed her eyes as she spotted a few figures on top of the roof. This brought the total number of people chasing them to a total of 10. Vermillion made a sharp turn and ran forward. Semilia followed closely, only to find out that Vermillion had ended up at a dead end, a high, sand wall blocking their path.

" What are you doing?!" Semilia asked, alarmed at Vermillion leading her to a dead end to be cornered.

" Relax, elf. We can't escape just yet when our target is still around. I just drew them here so that we can pick them off one by one in an easier fashion," Vermillion exclaimed, throwing her hood back and slamming her fists together. " Are you with me, elf?!" Vermillion exclaimed just as their pursuers entered the entrance of the dead end.

Semilia merely gave a grim-looking grin as she drew out two arrows from her quiver and armed her bow. " You've got spunk, monk. I say we can give this a try," Semilia answered.

" Cover my flanks and whoever that is that's above me. I'll deal with them head on!" Vermillion exclaimed, dashing forward.

Semilia let loose two of her arrows at once. One of the rogues dodged the first one, while the other struck the swordsman in the shoulder. Vermillion leaped forward, slamming the palm of her hand in his face, sending blood gushing out from his nose from the impact. One of the assassins jumped towards Vermillion's left flank, and swung his katar at her side. Vermillion quickly kicked the weapon aside to avoid getting stabbed, before dropping to the ground and rolling aside to avoid some lighting blast directed to her. The blasts charred her cloak at the sides, but she suffered nothing serious.

Semilia caught sight of the hunter on the top of the roof, flanked by a mage. Semilia fired her bow at the hunter, catching his attention to avoid him from striking Vermillion who was busy fending off the other 7 people by herself. The arrow swiped past his head, and he turned his attention towards Semilia, letting loose his two arrows. Semilia dropped to the ground, the arrows brushing against her hair, and drew another two arrows. Before he could reload the bows again, Semilia fired, and the arrow shafts found their way through his skull. The hunter fell from the rooftop, and with a sickening crack, smashed on the stone floor below, his head cracked open like an egg. She quickly drew another arrow, and focusing for a while, fired at at the mage. The arrow struck the mage's head with such force that it was torn of it's neck, blood spraying out and showering Semilia with droplets of blood.

A loud female cry brought her attention towards Vermillion. Vermillion caught one of the arms of a rogue who threatened to bring down his knife against her neck, but she stopped him just in time by catching his hand. A katar flashed by her side, and she painfully grabbed it to avoid it from stabbing her. However, the katar was unfortunately laced with poison, and it stung her hands painfully, and with that, she loosened her grip slightly. The katar quickly found it's way to her side, sinking into her flesh.

" Vermillion!" Semilia exclaimed, firing several arrows in Vermillion direction. They struck the rogue and assassin who was pinning Vermillion down on their shoulders, Semilia aiming on their less vital areas just to avoid hitting Vermillion in case. Vermillion yanked out the katar when he was shot, then spun around to avoid the another assassin who came right next to her, sinking his katar into the wall where her head originally was located. Semilia moved forward, another arrow armed in her bow, but this time when she let it fly, a huge wall of ice appeared before her, her arrow striking the wall and breaking into two, not even denting it.

_Shit, she's being overwhelmed at all sides, and the wizard can easily block my attack path...I need to get to higher ground..._Semilia thought to herself. She didn't hesitate, and slinging her bow on her back, she immediately ran towards the wall and leaped up, clinging on to whatever her hands could hold on to. She needed to get to higher ground as fast as she could before Vermillion was overwhelmed by the mob. Semilia pulled herself up, and scrambled herself up on the rooftop. An arrow shot past her head, missing by a fraction of a second as the hunter below took aim. Semilia took out her bow, taking aim, before pausing to see the amount of carnage Vermillion alone had struck.

As Semilia attempted to scale the wall, Vermillion took a calculated step forward, and headbutted the rogue in the head. The impact made both of their skulls bleed, but Vermillion managed to stay conscious after the attack. Wrapping her arms around the assassin that had stabbed her, she clung on tight and twisted his arm painfully. He gave a yelp of pain as another assassin swung forward to attack. Vermillion grabbed the man by two arms and swung him against his companion, both of them crashing into each other. Two rogues came in to flank her, but she merely swung around, crashing her fist into one, forcing him to reel backwards, before knocking the arm that came swinging towards her aside to avoid getting stabbed. She jabbed the rogue painfully in his gut, barged into him, and picked him up as if he were a toy. She threw him over her body, slamming him on the ground. Before she could finish him with a powerful slam on his head, the wizard fired a spell at her, and the sharp bolt of lightning hit her squarely in the chest and flung her backwards, crashing upon the wall.

Semilia fired downwards at the wizard, only to have her arrow intercepted by one of the assassins, who raised his arm in an instant and flick the arrow aside using his katar. Semilia was about to fire again when she paused. Seeing her reaction, the pursuers turned around to see what had caught Semilia's attention, only to see Vermillion getting up and shrugging her shoulders, as if nothing had happened.

" Pathetic, this isn't even worthy of a warm-up," Vermillion scowled, despite her body aching from all the electric jolts and her vest smoking after taking up such a powerful lightning spell.

The wizard snapped his fingers, and another powerful electric current ran through his hands. Vermillion clapped her hands together, muttering " Angel of light, protect thy servant..." As soon as the wizard fired another bolt of lightning in her direction, Vermillion clapped her hands a second time, and all of a sudden, a concentration of Holy powers burst from her, a whitish glow surrounding her body. She raised her hand and the lightning bolt hit her, but merely sizzled against her palm. Her hands burned badly, the leather fingerless gloves she always wore melted on her skin, but she was unharmed nonetheless.

" Your lightning can't even overcome a simple Angelus spell," Vermillion sighed. " I'm tired of this...shall we finish this?!"

-

" What's Grimjaw thinking, drawing all the attention to himself? Now we have to deal with these irritating people," Tryzen sighed loudly as a mob of people started to pour out from all over, their weapons drawn along with not too friendly-looking faces. " This doesn't look good," he spoke again, although his palms were already crackling with energy.

" What now?" Teranis asked, sounding slightly alarmed.

" We fight," Tryzen replied. " Melanie should have gotten the signal when we lighted our flares. Until she arrives, we have no means of getting out, so we may as well do our best to just keep these people away from the house Grimjaw crashed into."

" Look!" Sapphire exclaimed, pointing towards the sky. Two other flares had been lit up, and were flying high into the sky. " From that direction, it looks like it came from probably Semilia and Vermillion. Looks like they are in trouble too!"

Tryzen didn't have time to dwell on it. The first mob of rogues and assassins of Morroc were closing in on them. He drew all the arcane seals needed in mid-air, tracing invisible lines only he could read. Making a few seals with his hands, he completed his spell in an instant. A tremendous collection of energy started to fill the sky. Just as all mob started to approach them, the sky started to rain down thunderbolts, crashing into the area. The Lord of Vermillion spell was totally at random, so Tryzen could not target specific people, but nonetheless, the bolts of lighting struck the ground with such ferocity that it blasted several rogues out of the way, leaving smoking craters in the sand.

Without wasting any time, Iris slithered forward to the first person she saw, a rogue swordsman. Before he could react, she curled her massive body around him, wrapping him completely in her coils. In a single swift motion, she twisted her body, and crushed the man's body into a pulp, the sound of breaking bones reverberating in the air. Blood started to ooze through her coils as she squeezed the juices out of him.

She hissed loudly when she was suddenly peppered with arrows and knives, thrown by the rogues. One hit her in the head, and she hissed loudly in pain as crimson blood started to flow down her face.

" Iris!" Teranis exclaimed, running up to her.

" Watch your back!" she hissed.

Teranis spun around to find another swordsman right behind her. She winced as the swordsman swung his short sword at her, ripping her shoulder. Teranis fell clumsily on the floor, clutching her bleeding shoulder. Before the swordsman could make his next move, a massive figure slithered up to him, and before he knew it, Iris grabbed his by his neck, and with a powerful squeeze, crushed his neck in a second.

She didn't get the time to thank Iris, because a second later, several rogues swarmed around her, hacking her with their knives, while several others fired their crossbows from afar. Several assassins jumped on her and struck her hard with their katars, dripping with poison as far as Teranis could see. Iris tried to shrug them off, but there were too many that were swarming all over them right now. Her tough, scaly hide was almost equivalent to a simple chain-mail, but it was not impervious to all their attacks.

Tryzen saw what was happening, and ran up to aid Iris. He fired a huge fireball at one of the store in front of them, sending the rogues and hunters scattering as the fire knocked them aside. He jumped up Iris's body with agility that was befitting a monk, and slammed his palm on the two unsuspecting assassins on Iris's body. The assassins were taken unawares, not expecting a wizard to attack with such frontal movements, and Tryzen managed to freeze them when he touched them. Before they even hit the ground, Tryzen fired a couple of bolts of lighting from his fingertips, and they shattered into pieces before they even touched the ground.

A few arrows were fired in his direction, but he swiftly blasted them aside with several bolts of ice. Jumping off Iris's massive body, he allowed her to move forward and grab a rogue who kept hacking at her with ease, and tossing him to crash with another buddy of his who was fired arrows at her.

" You're wounded," Teranis replied, seeing Iris bleeding all over from the cuts and arrows sticking out of her body.

" I'm fine. I've been through worse situations than this," Iris hissed loudly, attempting to backhand another rogue circling her but missed. Sapphire took advantage of this, and fired several white sphere's at him, knocking him down.

Teranis whipped out two bottle of potions, and shake the contents slightly, popping the corks, the washed the potions over Iris's body, which started to heal slow as they sizzled up to close her wounds. Iris felt much more invigorated now that her wounds were gone, and her movements quickened up.

" Tryzen, we can't handle them all," Sapphire warned him.

" Break into the building. The space here is too open. Go now!" Tryzen replied. Snapping his fingers, he set up a multitude of ice walls around the area. It sapped a lot of energy from him, but they were effective in keeping them at bay for the mean time before they melted.

Sapphire backed up and slammed her shoulder against the wooden door, but it didn't budge. " It's locked," she exclaimed.

" Step aside, girl," Teranis replied, digging into her pack and retrieving a small flask. Pulling the cork open, she flung some of the fluids at the lock. The metal lock started to sizzle, then very quickly, melted almost at once. Iris gave a hiss, before barging into the door, the melted lock no match for the strength of an Isis, breaking through the door in a second as they all stormed inside.

-

" The flares came from two directions. The one on the left is most likely Semilia and Vermillion, since they were supposed to be on that side. The other ones probably came from Tryzen, Teranis, Iris and Sapphire. I'm not sure where Grimjaw and Azaroth are. You'd think that with all of them lighting their flares at once, they would as well," Camelia replied, as the rest of them entered the city border. People shot them dark glances as they entered the city, but Melanie had already expected that, since the army wasn't appreciated here.

" Grimjaw and Azaroth were tasked with asking information from Grimjaw's employer, so they might be somewhere talking with her still. Perhaps they haven't been notified of the problem," Selene answered.

" The problem is that there are two groups. How shall we proceed? Dividing us all might be troublesome," Melanie replied. Besides Obelisk and Peineya, the rest of them had rushed ahead, expecting the worst.

All of a sudden, Patch suddenly gave a blood chilling howl.

" What's wrong with that wolf?" Soreen asked, huffing slightly.

" Commander Melanie, Patch's nose is very keen and sensitive. He can easily track our master from a mile away. If you would allow us, we can find her quickly enough with his sense of smell," Crystal suggested as she hovered along behind them.

" That simplifies matters," Melanie replied. " Crystal, take Soreen with you and using Patch, go get Semilia and Vermillion. Once you get them, warp them to our meeting point. The rest of you, follow me." With that, she took a sharp turn at the corner as the team split into two, heading off to two different directions.

-

Vermillion panted heavily as she leaned herself on the nearby wall and slid down, thoroughly exhausted. The fight was over, and the bodies of the defeated lay sprawled all on the floor, either unconscious or dead. Semilia ran along the roof side, and jumped down next to her.

" How are you?" she asked, sounding slightly concerned.

Vermillion had taken a tremendous beating. She sustained two stab wounds to the side and multiple cuts on her limbs. Part of her cape was still smoking from the lightning spell the wizard had cast. Her hand was quite severely burned. She tore the spoiled leather gloves and tossed them angrily aside.

" Those were new," she muttered.

" I asked you if you were alright?"Semilia asked again, this time with a higher volume plus a vexed tone for being ignored.

" I'm fine really," Vermillion replied. She held her hand at her wound and channeled her healing magic towards the cuts she received. Her hand started to glow and the wounds started to close up. Very slowly, she managed to patch herself up, although the burns left some scars on her hands which she could not seem to fix. When she was done, she attempted to rise.

" Stay down. You've been battered and wounded. You shouldn't be standing up," Semilia said.

" I'm fine, really. I don't know why you are fussing over me," Vermillion replied, waving her off and standing up, although she did look a little wobbly on her feet.

Vermillion was more than that: she was alive. Semilia could not remember the last time there was a record of someone being directly hit by a Jupitel Thunder spell and still have the constitution to stand up and continue fighting. A direct hit would either fry all her internal system, or at worse, burn her to crisp. Here she was, still standing, after being stabbed twice in her sides and withstanding two Jupitel Thunder spells.

_This woman...isn't normal, _Semilia told herself as she continued to look at Vermillion with appraising eyes, as she stood up, gasping while holding her aching side.

" Master!" a familiar voice called out.

Semilia turned to see Patch taking the lead, bounding towards his master, while Crystal and the acolyte Semilia knew as Soreen came right behind him. Patch ran up and Semilia and started to lick her hands affectionately, nudging his head on her side.

" Yes, yes...I missed you too," Semilia said.

" We are here to help," Soreen replied.

" Good...now let's go find that lousy bastard. He can't be too far off now," Vermillion replied.

" Urm..."

" What?!" Vermillion asked, raising her voice.

Soreen seemed reluctant to speak, since Vermillion was glaring at her angrily. She wasn't sure which she'd rather prefer: an angry Melanie, or a pissed Vermillion. " But...Lieutenant Vermillion, Commander Melanie has issued an order to escape from here. The city is now getting a little too chaotic to continue," Soreen said carefully.

" Dang it!" Vermillion spat, before cursing in the old Morrocan language, her choice of words this time was some mummy's dung. " How the hell did this happen?! By the Gods, I am pissed. We met Treiken in the bar just now! Why can't we just go get him!?" Vermillion exclaimed.

" As much as we want to, we can't. We don't know how many more of Treiken's men are out there. It's a lost cause. We need to retreat, regroup, and plan our next step," Semilia replied. Vermillion cursed loudly once more, muttering a fluent string of choice words, before agreeing to let Soreen warp them out of the place.

-

As soon as the ice wall melted, their enemies started to storm into the house. Tryzen took a good look around. The house was rather empty and derelict, with just a few storage boxes and furniture around. The floor was covered in a layer of dust that was dirtied with footprints. There was a staircase by the side that lead to the top, but Tryzen could not be bothered with that. Assassins and rogues were leaping into the building from the front entrance.

Tryzen and Sapphire casted their spells at once, blasting ice and lightning at the entrance. The single entrance made it easy for them to pick off of their enemies one by one, but by the time they hit the fourth person, a couple of them managed to squeeze through their attacks and storm through the door. Iris lounged at the first one she saw, picking him up and sinking her teeth into his neck, ripping his throat out as if she was taking a snack before tossing his bloody corpse to the side to take down the next one.

Teranis prepared one of her explosive bottles, mixing two components together, them flinging it at the entrance. A large blast erupted, blowing out flames all over the place, catching a few of them on fire. However, it did not deter them in the least, and more of them leaped through the flame, as if it were nothing much. Teranis swung her acid bottle at the first person who engaged her, splashing it over his eyes. He yelled out in pain and stumbled backwards, Teranis helping him by kicking him back.

One of the assassins managed to climb up Iris's back, and throw a string around her neck. She lashed out at him, trying to throw him of her back as she dropped on the floor, struggling viciously with him. Teranis attempted to help her, but was stopped when a swordsman blocked her path, punching her in her face. She reeled back and fell on her rear end. As the man raised his sword, all of a sudden, there was a tremendous yell that came from the back.

" Drop to the floor now!"

Tryzen grabbed Sapphire by her lapels and dragged her down on the floor, despite several of them closing in, going for the kill. A second later, there was a sharp, ripping noise in the air, and something invisible flew threw the air across the room. Teranis wasn't sure what happened, but she heard the sound of wood being broken apart, and the next thing she knew, the swordsman that stood over her suddenly had his abdomen sliced open by an invisible force. It applied to the rest of them in the room, as assassins and rogues fell to the ground, bleeding from being cut by some invisible blade that seem to fly through the air, some of them missing their limbs.

" You're late, you misbegotten pile of rotten potatoes! What took you so long?!" Tryzen suddenly called out in jest.

Teranis attempted to look towards the back where Tryzen was facing. Azaroth stood by the door, his Tsurugi and Haedonggun drawn in his hand, panting slightly as if he had completed a run. He took three steps to close in one the assassin who was holding on to Iris. He spotted Azaroth coming towards him, so he released her and whipped out his katars. Azaroth whipped his sword at such speed at the assassins head came off in an instant, and he executed another Last Strike, sending a blade of ripping wind towards the flying head, cutting it open into two, spraying the rest of the assailants with the man's brains. The men stopped for a while, pausing at the sight of this newcomer, as he raised his bloodied sword at them.

" I'm very pissed now, so if you know what's best for you, leave!" Azaroth snarled menacingly.


	12. Chapter 11: A Brother's Fury

**Chapter 11: A Brother's Fury**

Grimjaw shrugged off the pain as he picked himself up from the floor after making a spectacular entrance from the window. The cuts he had sustained by throwing himself through a second storey window was insignificant. He grip his two daggers, a Gladiuis and a Damascus, tightly in his hands, looking around hastily.

" Looking for me, Grimjaw?" a dark voice called out to him.

Grimjaw spun his head to one of the corners of the room. Right by the open, broken down door, stood a unkempt looking wizard with his hair all about. He was dressed in thick clothing, his leather attire covering him completely, and the only part where his skin was exposed to the air was his face. He grin menacingly at Grimjaw, while Grimjaw snarled back like a threatened dog.

" My, you certainly live up to your name, rogue. I do wonder, really, where did your sister learn her manners from? Certainly not from you, I believe," Treiken replied.

Grimjaw didn't answer. In the next second, he leaped at Treiken, sailing through the air while screaming at the top of his lungs, is blood boiling angrily at the man. One of his daggers swung forward, drawing a tremendous scratch on the wall behind Treiken, who had jumped aside to dodge the attack. Grimjaw swung around angrily, his blades ripping the damaged doors off its joints, tearing the pieces all over the place.

" Where is my sister?!" Grimjaw demanded, breathing heavily. " What have you done with her?!"

" Nothing. If it would make you feel any better, she will be serving a greater good. As her only relative left, you should be proud of that fact," Treiken replied haughtily.

Grimjaw whipped forward. Treiken fired several bursts of flame and ice at Grimjaw, who managed to leap aside in time. There were a multitude of rooms all around the second storey, most of them interconnected to one another. Grimjaw slipped through one of the rooms, the wall beside him crumbling apart as Treiken blasted lightning through the weak foundations. He jumped out through another door by the side, missing Treiken's attack by a fraction of a second.

" I don't give a shit about what you are doing! Give me back my sister!" Grimjaw yelled.

" I shall, you have my word...when I'm done with her, of course. I can't guarantee she'll be alive though," Treiken replied, laughing.

Grimjaw decided he had enough of this wizard's insults. With a loud roar he dashed right up at him, his blades glinting under the suns rays that pierced through the broken window that he had leaped through.

-

Azaroth gave a swift kick at the first guy who approached him, knocking him back several feet. Several assassins whipped about him. He ducked immediately under of the assassins swings, the katar slicing past his head. Hitting the floor, he rolled under one of the assassin's feet and gave a quick swipe at the man's feet. The assassin avoided the blow, only to get fired upon by a massive blast of flame by Sapphire. Azaroth jumped to his feet, and executed a cross slash, ripping apart a swordsman's chest, his leather armour no match for the sharpness of his weapon.

" There are too many of them!" Teranis replied. " I can't believe these many people are affiliated to Treiken."

" They probably are not, but merely hired goons he somehow obtained in Morroc, paid to do his bidding," Tryzen replied.

" Well, they better start backing off, or else we might be overwhelmed," Sapphire replied, firing another blast at them.

" Tryzen, a Firewall up now!" Azaroth replied.

Tryzen completed the spell quickly, then focus his concentration at the entrance of the building. All of a sudden, superheated flames emerged all of a sudden at the front of the door, setting whoever was on that spot alight and forcing the rest of the attackers to back off to avoid severe burning. Azaroth and Iris quickly finished off the ones left inside, throwing their bodies aside as soon as they sunk their blades or fangs into the poor victim.

" My magic can only last for so long, and I've been drained from keeping them at bay," Tryzen replied, taking a look at his hands, which were trembling slightly from the massive amount of magic power he had to conduct through them. " Even the great 'Blitz' has his limits."

" If Melanie managed to catch those flares and come, then we might not have to worry too much. Let's just hope she and the rest of them can arrive in time," Azaroth muttered in a deep voice.

" What was Grimjaw doing?! We saw him leap through the second storey window the level above us!" Teranis demanded, who was now pouring some amount of healing potion on Iris, who was hissing at Teranis, because despite its healing properties, they still stung for her.

" We've got word that Treiken was residing here, or at least making this a temporary base for the moment. The moment he learned that, he came rushing all the way here, and I just lost track of him. The only way I managed to track all of you was because there was just too big a commotion to miss," Azaroth replied angrily. " When I see him again, I swear, I'm going to teach him a lesson…"

Tryzen looked at Sapphire with a look of surprise and a hint of worry. Azaroth rarely flared up, and this time, he looked about as pissed as he will ever be. Azaroth flung his swords a little bit, throwing the blood of his enemies off the blade, preparing himself for another assault as the firewall Tryzen set up started to diminish.

However, before the firewall completely extinguished itself, all of a sudden, there was a flash of extremely bright white light coming from the outside. All of them had to wince and cover their eyes to shield themselves from the great white light. There were cries of pain mingled with cries of surprise coming from the outside. As the light subsided, several people stepped through the door, but at least, they were familiar figures at least.

" All of you…are you all alright?!" Selene exclaimed, coming up to them.

" Azaroth, what the heck is going on right now?! When I have to blast my way through at least twenty people, it is certainly not good at all!" Melanie exclaimed towards Azaroth the moment she stepped into the room.

" We can argue later, cutie. Right now we have bigger problems on our hands," Azaroth replied, although at this point, he couldn't suppress a grin. " Maycron, Selene, open warp portals now. Tryzen, I want you to set as many ice walls as you possibly can and get out. The rest of you follow. With that done, Selene, Melanie, follow me."

" What are you…?!"

" I've got no time to explain, commander. I've been on the field, so trust what I say," Azaroth sht back.

-

Grimjaw panted slightly as he hid behind a wall, the walls around him either coated in layers of ice or housing multiple craters made from lightning bolts. Treiken was proving himself to be an irritating enemy to deal with, and Grimjaw could not get his blade in edgewise. He listened carefully for any sound of movement, but there was none.

All of a sudden, the whole wall behind him exploded in a fiery blast, sending chunks of rock and dust all over the place. Grimjaw managed to leap away just before the stone wall collapsed on him. Treiken smiled slightly as he saw Grimjaw on the ground, gripping his daggers tightly, only wanting to sink them into the man before him.

" Is that all? I thought for a rogue of your status you'd be much more of a challenge to me," Treiken laughed. Grimjaw gritted his teeth, seething in fury. _So, I'm mere amusement, am I?_

However, they were suddenly interrupted by a pillar of light appearing in the room all of a sudden. Grimjaw gave a look of utter surprise, but from Treiken's expression, it looked like he sort of expected this somehow. From the warp portal emerged three assassins and a priest. All of them wore a red headband on their heads, with the symbol of a cross etched on their heads. _Members of the Deathguise Guild, no doubt…_Grimjaw thought.

" Ah, you all are just in time," Treiken replied casually.

" The army caught wind of us too soon, Treiken," one of the assassins, the only female in the group, spoke up harshly. " We are kicking up too much of a fuss right now, Treiken."

" I apologise, Mayris. I had not expected the army to act so swiftly and so accurately. Perhaps this rat here told us off," Treiken replied, nudging his head towards Grimjaw, who was still crouched on the floor. Mayris merely looked at him scathingly, not bothering that he was there, her eyes regarding him as if he was just part of the furniture in the room.

" Get it out right now. That thing can't stay here, and it cannot fall into their hands," Mayris replied.

" Righto," Treiken replied, as if he was not bothered that the army was assaulting the place, or that Grimjaw was there at all. " Right, Cornis, follow me. Mayris, take Don and Gretch and deal with this troublesome rogue for me." With that, Treiken walked off towards the back of the second storey with the priest, while the three other assassins whipped out their katars in a split second, Mayris glaring at Grimjaw savagely beneath her mask, her blue eyes staring into him.

" With pleasure," she replied.

Grimjaw leaped up instantly, his dagger flashing by his side. It took him one glance to tell him that there were not the average flunkies you'd find in the streets of Morroc. These were fairly skilled assassins, especially Mayris. She had a certain air that Grimjaw felt was similar to one he would carry, and if anything, she would probably be level with him in terms of fighting capabilities.

Mayris raised her katar in a cross, intercepting a gladuis to her neck. As soon as she blocked the initial strike, Gretch and Gon instantly flanked Grimjaw on both sides. He lowered his head slightly as one katar swooped right at him, then blocked another that was aimed at his leg with his remaining weapon. With a powerful pull, Mayris broke the lock, and slashed at his neck, threatening to lob his head right off. Grimjaw ducked, then rolled backwards as Gretch attempted to strike his prone body on the floor. Grimjaw stopped at the edge of the wall, only to feel Mayris right behind him. Looking back, he caught sight of her right behind him, dropping herself from the wall.

_Too fast..._he thought.

He flipped aside, Mayris's katars sinking into the floor. She whipped her hand up, her katars slicing his cheek slightly, before rolling over to him, grappling his hands. Grimjaw heaved her off his body, just to avoid a stab to the head by Don, who closed in within the next second. Flicking out two knifes at each hand, he randomly flung them at their direction in order to gain some breathing space. Don and Gretch knocked the knives aside as if they were mere toys, and Mayris got up and dashed right at Grimjaw, her katars flashing dangerously close. He grabbed her right hand as it came right at him, stopping from stabbing his gut within inches. Her other arm came swinging in from the left, and he used his remaining hand to stops hers. However, with both hands occupied, Mayris leaped up, her feet lifting up from the floor, making a backflip, causing Grimjaw to loose his grip on her as she twisted her arms around, before sending her leg up his chin.

_What the...she fights with a flexibility of a rogue!_

Grimjaw stumbled back slightly after the hit, his head a little dizzy. Gretch moved in from the side, his katars flashing towards his face. Grimjaw managed to slam into his weapon in time, his Damascus crashing into a joint of one of this katars, cutting him slightly. However, Mayris recovered from her flip,and leaped forward to grab Grimjaw by his neck. He winced as she applied pressure on his neck.

" It's over," she replied.

Grimjaw threw his hand up in a flash, his dagger striking the katar on her hand that threatened to lob off his head. The katar was just too close to avoid being cut completely, and the blade tore a slight wound on his neck. Blood spurted out slightly, and Grimjaw winced in pain. He drew his hand, which was holding Gretch back, and struck his katars aside before elbowing him in the face. He ducked as Don came in to strike, only to take a step forward and barge his shoulder into him, slamming him backwards, knocking Mayris with him as well.

" Tch, you sure are one persistent bastard, aren't you Grimjaw?" Mayris spat, pushing Don aside.

Grimjaw braced himself as Mayris came right at him again, ignoring the warm trickle of blood flowing down his neck. However, at that exact moment, there was a loud ripping sound in the air, and the ground beneath them, broke apart, pieces of the floor falling apart, creating a gap in the middle of them. Grimjaw stared in surprise, and so did the other three assassins, as Azaroth suddenly climbed up from the hole he managed to create.

" Sorry for breaking the party...honestly, I don't like using shortcuts as well," Azaroth replied, pointing his swords at the assassins.

-

Treiken opened one of the last doors on the second floor, entering what looked like some run down study. Cornis merely looked around in contempt, seemingly not happy to be here. Very swiftly, Treiken walked up to one of the boxes and slowly opened it. Inside was a scroll of some unknown origin, wrapped in a leather skin. Carefully, he picked the scroll up and kept it within his jacket.

" Going so soon?" a voice trailed in from the back.

Cornis spun around, alarmed at the sudden address. However, Treiken was rather unfazed, turning around slowly and deliberately. Melanie stood by the doorway, along with Selene. Melanie had her weapons drawn, her face set in a ferocious glare, while powerful white energy throbbed in Selene's palm, pulsating with power.

" Ah, Melanie Stryfort. What a pleasant surprise..."

" The same can't be said to you, however," Melanie retorted quickly.

" My, my, how rude," Treiken hushed. " Even the good priestess Selene is here as well. I assure you your students are doing fine."

Selene suddenly took a step forward, so aggressively that Cornis took a step back, afraid of the priestess's sudden movement. Melanie held her hand out, preventing Selene from taking any rash actions. Selene merely frowned, but she didn't argue.

" I assume you know why we are here," Melanie replied.

" Perhaps...but I doubt you have too much time in trying to take me in, with all those insects swarming outside, no?" Treiken asked. Melanie frowned at the statement. His sentences seem to carry a lithe, proud tone, as if he was confident he always had the upper hand, kind of like how Tryzen would take. _Do all skilled wizards speak as arrogantly like this?_

Melanie decided Treiken wasn't one to answer properly. Time to take extreme measures.

Melanie immediately took up her shield and charged right at Treiken. Cornis attempted to cast a spell, but Selene stepped in, catching his hand and negating the spell before he casted it. Treiken raised his hand and powerful currents of electricity started to form around his hand, building up in power and intensity.

The lightning blast engulfed the entire area Melanie stood. Selene barely managed to set up a barrier to lessen the effects, but Melanie's shield was tingling from all the electricity it had sustained. Her shield was forged to sustain some magical damage, but not too much. However, she wasn't deterred, and she swung her sword powerfully at his face Treiken ducked the blow, then rolled aside.

Selene caught a sudden movement at the side, and raised her hands in an instant to shield her face as Cornis attempted to backhand her while she casted her spell at Melanie. Selene's eyes widened as she suddenly saw his hand glow all of a sudden, a collection of Holy power in his hand. She twisted herself aside just in time to avoid a blast at her head, a flash a bright white light passing her, making her hair stand. The blast would have killed her in an instant if she didn't avoid it. Cornis broke himself from her grasp, and snapped his fingers several times. Selene noticed a number of enchantments in which he placed on himself.

Selene and Melanie suddenly recoiled in pain as Treiken suddenly set up a huge wall of fire in the middle of the room. Both of them had to step back in order to avoid getting burned by the insane flames. The heat started to collect at an accelerated rate in the enclosed room, charring the ceiling and the floor black. Cornis took this chance to open a warp portal for Treiken.

" Sorry I cannot stay. I have things I have to attend to. Your presence has force me to accelerate my plans. I shall now take me leave. Cornis, warp the rest of them back, and follow quickly," Treiken replied, before stepping into the warp portal. Cornis merely looked at Melanie and Selene, before clapping his hands together, teleporting himself away.

Melanie spat a curse, pissed that she was held back by a mere firewall spell and some nifty teleporting skills.

-

" What's this?" Mayris replied.

" Nothing much. We're here to see Treiken really, but members of the Deathguise guild can surfice as well," Azaroth replied.

Mayris ran the blade of her katars together, making a sharp, metalic scraping noise. " Fine, then you will die with him," she snarled under her mask.

Azaroth ran up to her, striking her so hard she was knocked backwards for several feet. His Tsurugi came around, deflecting a striking coming in from the left hand side, his blade striking one of the katars that Gretch struck aside. His other arm swung up, meeting Don's strike. Azaroth struck so swiftly, elbowing Don and Gretch quickly, and still finding the time to execute a cross slash at Mayris, who blocked the attack by crossing her katars together. However, the force Azaroth applied was enough to smash her weapon apart, the katars breaking from the metal joints that held the blade in place, scattering everything on the floor.

" What the...? Such ferocious combat skills..." Mayris muttered.

" Where is Treiken?! Where the hell are the acolytes you people have kidnapped?!" Azaroth exclaimed, ignoring the remark, casually pointing the sword at Mayris, not bothering that he was surrounded by three assassins.

Don figured that it might be a good chance to strike, but as he braced himself to spring himself upon, Grimjaw suddenly closed in on him. He drew his katar back to block the strike to his back, but at that moment, Azaroth jumped at him, and sank both his sword into his body. Don gagged slightly as Azaroth stabbed him savagely, before pulling both swords out, spilling his guts and his gore on the floor as he allowed him to collapse on the floor, bleeding to death.

" Speak, my patience and time is wearing thin," Azaroth replied, snarling at her.

" Like I would speak to such a rogue like one such as you are," Mayris replied. " Besides, you people would probably not understand what we are trying to accomplish anyway, even if it is beneficial to you all."

" What the heck cane be so beneficial about kidnapping two acolytes?" Azaroth demanded.

Mayris took her time to reply. " There is no point explaining. People like you will not understand anyway," Mayris replied. Within the next second, she and Gretch made their move. Azaroth raised his swords for a counter-attack, but none came. In fact, Mayris and Gretch leaped backwards, towards a priest who suddenly warped himself into the building all of a sudden, whom Grimjaw recognized as the one addressed as Cornis. He clapped his hands, and a warp portal appeared, and the assassins entered quickly, escaping the place, the priest following them last. Azaroth took a wild swing at them, throwing another Last Strike at them, the air blade rushing forward, but nothing happened as the portal slowly disappeared, and all Azaroth managed to do was to rip a long gash on the side of the wall.

" Gah!" he shouted loudly, angry that they managed to slip past him.

" What's all this about?" Selene asked, stepping into the room.

" Those bastards managed to escape," Azaroth replied, fuming slightly.

" So has Treiken. He managed to slip through our guard. Our excursion here was wasted," Melanie replied. She could hear the sounds of people running about downstairs. " The others should have managed to escape by now. I only hope Soreen finds Vermillion and Semilia as well. We need to leave. We cannot hold out an entire mob by ourselves."

Selene opened a warp portal without haste just as the first rogue entered the top floor, only to be sent crashing down the stairs again when Melanie smashed her shield into her face, sending him flying backwards. All four of them entered the portal, and within the next few seconds, disappeared from the place.


	13. Chapter 12: Teranis's Links

**Chapter 12: Teranis's Links**

Obelisk and Peineya waited patiently at the meeting point, looking out into the horizon at the city of Morroc. They were just too far away to see anything from this point, but they still attempted to try nonetheless. People were mere specks from where they could see them, so it was highly unlikely that they would be able to spot them anyway.

" Do you think they'll come back? I hope they do. The desert is somehow getting to me, not that all the sand is bad, but it does get into your shoes and all that. Gets irritating after a while, you know, and the sun. It's really hot, and not too mention it's not exactly good for your skin, not that both of us have to worry too much about anyway, since we are dead in a sense," Obelisk ranted for a while. Peineya kept quiet, merely watching the city for any signs of Semilia, keeping to herself and probably ignoring the Bongun, who was being noisy.

" Oh…"

All of a sudden, a warp portal suddenly opened up in front of them, and the first to step out from the pillar of light was Semilia. She looked a little disheveled but fine nonetheless. Patch followed close-by, before Crystal and Soreen came out as well. Vermillion was the last to exit, looking worse for wear, with her entire attire ripped and torn apart, charred black in some areas, with an amount of wounds and dried blood covering her all over.

" You look hurt. Looks like something big happened. It would explain the flares anyway, obviously," Obelisk replied, seeing Vermillion, while Peineya hopped up to Semilia and stood by her side, keeping quiet. " Are you alright?"

" Bah, I'm fine, punk. I can take much more punishment than this. Those renegade punks were a mere warm-up for me," Vermillion replied, sitting down. Semilia gave her a look, but decided not to press the matter. They had to worry about their current predicament right now.

" Where are the rest?" Soreen asked, looking around.

" They are not back yet, Soreen. Perhaps Patch found me faster than they did. We will wait for a while," Semilia replied emotionlessly as she took a seat next to a broken wall next to Vermillion. Patch walked over and lay down next to her while she casually caressed his head. However, a second later, Patch gave a bark all of a sudden. Semilia looked at him then said " They are coming."

A second warp portal opened up, and this time, the rest of them came out. Tryzen and Sapphire stepped out, looked tired, no doubt almost using up their entire energy resources to cast all their spells, from what Semilia could sense from their slightly shaky hands. Flick and Camelia followed, both knights looked a little tired but unharmed, followed by Maycron. The last to come out was Iris and Teranis.

" You're hurt," Semilia exclaimed, standing up upon seeing her Isis companion.

" Oh this…bah, I'm fine. Teranis fixed me up nicely," Iris replied, looking at all the cuts she had sustained. Teranis had managed to concoct some potions for some quick heals, and the wounds were mostly closed now, although Iris was still caked in a layer of her own black blood.

" Thank you," Semilia replied.

" Oh…err…it was nothing much really," Teranis replied, scratching her head.

" Hey, we seem to be missing a few more people!" Vermillion said, noticing the shortage of people.

" Commander Melanie and Commander Azaroth, along with Commander Selene stayed behind to deal with things, and to find Grimjaw. They'll be back soon..." Maycron said, going to Soreen's side and hugging her. " Well…hopefully…" he added a while later.

None of them spoke for a while, but merely sat down and tried to recover their strength. Soreen and Maycron set out to tend to the wounded, although Vermillion angrily waved them off, insisting that she could take good care of her own self. They kept silent for a while. A couple of minutes passed, but so far no word.

However, Patch, once again, either with his excellent nose or uncanny sixth sense, gave another bark. " Here we are," Vermillion said, knowing that the huge beast could sense on-coming warp portals.

The final warp portal opened up, and this time, the rest of the group came out. Azaroth lead the group, sheathing his swords just as he stepped out, looking angry. Melanie and Grimjaw stepped out before him, and Selene was the last one to come out. They looked at the rest of them with an odd uneasy tone, knowing their mission was quite a fiasco.

" Hey," Vermillion started. " What the heck…"

Vermillion was suddenly interrupted when all of a sudden, Azaroth gave a loud, guttural cry, and lunged at Grimjaw, grabbing him roughly on his jacket. Grimjaw was about as surprised as almost everybody else at Azaroth's sudden outburst. With a surprising burst of strength, Azaroth lifted Grimjaw off his feet, and slammed him against one of the stone walls that was still standing. He drew his hand back, curled up in a fist, and slammed his balled fist into Grimjaw's gut, giving it a resounding thud.

" Azaroth!" Selene exclaimed at his sudden outburst, shocked at his anger. Tryzen stepped up, but Melanie held him back from moving up to his friend.

" Leave it. Azaroth knows what he is doing," Melanie replied.

Azaroth wasn't finished by a mile. As Grimjaw was reeling from the punch, Azaroth pulled his arm back, and this time, swung it at his face. Flick and Camelia winced as the punch connected painfully, the cracking sound snapping in the air. Grimjaw felt blood in his mouth as he felt the punch fly at his face. His head was spinning from the hit, and when he managed to recover within the next second, his eyes registered Azaroth's fist coming once more. The second punch knocked Grimjaw to the sandy floor, blood gushing out from his now broken nose.

" What, Grimjaw, the hell was that all about?!" Azaroth yelled loudly, sounding beside himself. Tryzen narrowed his eyes, not having seen the darker side of Azaroth before. Azaroth was breathing heavily as he glared at Grimjaw with eyes that could kill if he wanted. Grimjaw fumbled slightly on the ground, blood dripping from his nose and mouth. He tried not to get up, least Azaroth attempted to beat him up again. The acolytes shrank slightly as they saw their commander go berserk on the rogue. " Tell me, Grimjaw, what the hell was that all about?!"

" …I…" Grimjaw started, before stopping himself. He had never seen Azaroth this pissed before. In fact, it was hard to imagine him being this pissed at all. Azaroth usually laughed things off, had a much more carefree attitude to things. This was a side of Azaroth Grimjaw never knew he had.

" Your hot-headedness and foolish actions put all of us at risk. Rushing like that, attracting all the attention! Didn't you realize that you'd draw them to our position?! You compromised our position without thinking, and get this, Teranis almost died, alright?!" Azaroth bellowed right on top of him, spit flying from his mouth. Selene looked a little worriedly at Teranis, who waved her hand, signaling that it wasn't anything serious.

" You are in this mission with us together, do you understand?! This means you work with us, not we compromising ourselves for you! This is not one of your solo rogue missions where you can strut your stuff! You are with us now! Gutting Treiken would have served no bloody purpose, why can't you see that?! I would have liked to gut him myself, but we aren't here to kill some random wizard! Do you know why we are here for?!" Azaroth yelled.

Vermillion leaned back on the spot she was sitting upon, as if she was sort of enjoying a good show. Semilia looked at Azaroth with narrowed eyes, while the rest of her pet companions merely watched in silence as Azaroth disciplined Grimjaw, who still lay passively on the ground.

" We were here for your sister, Meillienne Windwalker! What the fuck do you think we were here for!? To do some random carnage?! Perhaps that was why your sister and Selene started to hate you! Look at what you are, damn it! I'm quite sure I quite agree with them right now!" Azaroth yelled.

Selene gasped slightly at Azaroth's words, as true as it might be, were just quite too harsh right now.

" Do you know why you are here with us, Grimjaw?! Do you?! Let me tell you!" Azaroth yelled, kneeling down and grabbing Grimjaw by his collar and lifting him up slightly. All of them winced, expecting Azaroth to pummel Grimjaw with his sudden movement, but apparently he was content with just yelling at him again. " You are here because I suggested it to Melanie! Not because your damn sister is related to the church, but because I asked Melanie to! How'd you think this will reflect on me?! Tell me, you fucked up piece of Morrocan scum! Are you trying to make me regret this decision?!"

Melanie could only grin at the comment. She was quite sure that Azaroth could care less about what happened to his name. She figured this was merely another excuse for him to just scold Grimjaw even further.

Azaroth seemed to cool off now. His breathing, although still heavy, started to come in slower now, since he wasn't shouting anymore. Very slowly, he released his grip on Grimjaw and pushed him back on the ground. Very slowly, he picked himself up, stared at Grimjaw, then looked at the rest of them, who looked at him fearfully. After a while, he merely rubbed sweat off his chin, and turned his back on the rest of them.

" I have other people to consider now. An army lap-dog I may be, but nonetheless, it still doesn't change the fact that I have people's lives at stake," Azaroth replied. " If you can't understand all this, then at least understand one thing, Grimjaw: You are not the only one concerned about Mei…you are not…so please stop being the selfish bastard you are right now."

With his final message, Azaroth walked off, ignoring the rest of them, as he attempted to find some solitude for himself to cool down. He walked off and stood at some corner some distance away from them, scratching his head under the Morrocan sun as he stood by, watching the city passively.

" Well, consider yourself lucky I didn't deal with you," Melanie replied coolly, although in a very amused tone. Selene frowned at her friend's attitude while Grimjaw merely sat up, merely allowing the blood to trickle down all over his face and his attire. Vermillion seemed to giggle at the comment, while Tryzen merely sighed, shrugged his shoulders and went back to Sapphire's side, who talked to him quietly. " All of you, rest up a bit. In a few minutes, will come back and discuss what we are going to do next. I'm going to speak to my assistant and asked him since when did he pick up some of my bad habits," Melanie said, walking off in Azaroth's direction.

Selene knelt down next to Grimjaw, a healing spell in her hands. " ...I...don't need your pity..." Grimjaw muttered when he saw her.

" You think this is pity?" she asked frowning.

" I don't deserve it...Azaroth is right..." Grimjaw replied.

Selene touched his face slightly, and the healing spell took effect. The bleeding started to stop, and the stinging pain that came from within his nose started to die down. Selene took a small piece of cloth from her pack and started to wipe his face. Grimjaw didn't move. He allowed her to do as she pleased.

" Does this happen a lot?" Semilia asked. Patch merely growled at her and nudged her side.

" Nope," Vermillion replied. " That is what that makes it so great."

-

Melanie walked up towards Azaroth, who didn't bother about her presence. He was apparently more interested in looking out towards the desert city. Melanie stood next to him, her arms folded as she watched the city with him passively.

" Well, that was an interesting turn of events," she replied.

" Hmm, sure was wasn't it?" Azaroth mused. Melanie noticed he was grinning somehow.

" You seem glad somehow," Melanie replied.

" Well, honestly, it isn't my nature to deal with Grimjaw in such a way," Azaroth said, pacing up and down, scratching his head. " But I did mean what I said, I'm responsible for people now, and I can't let that screw things up. Grimjaw got what he deserved. I just had to keep him in line. If I didn't, you'd do it anyway."

Melanie merely sighed and nodded her head. " Well, what do we do next?"

-

" Well, that was such a mess for a rescue mission," Soreen replied.

" This is too dangerous. Why the heck is Melanie bringing us along? She should have taken someone else of much better caliber than the both of us," Maycron sighed.

" How can you say that? Aren't we here to rescue Meillienne and Caris? Melanie trusts in us, and the best we can do is stay around and help out to the best of our abilities. Besides, we are soldiers of the great Pronteran empire. Don't you dare say you are chickening out, Maycron? I thought you were better than that," Soreen teased.

" ...It's not really that..." Maycron replied.

" Hey, what are you kids talking about?" Flick asked,walking over. Maycron and Soreen looked up at the towering figure above them as he stood right in front of them, his figure blocking out the sun. " Some problem?"

" Yeah, you are standing in my private space, old man. Get lost," Maycron replied.

" Watch your words, rookie," Flick laughed heartily. " Wait till Melanie hears of this."

" I know my commander better than you do," Maycron replied, blowing a raspberry. Soreen giggled at Maycron's actions, and Flick merely scratched his head in an amused manner.

" Flick, stop bullying those kids," Camelia replied, stepping right behind him.

" Hey, Camelia, Flick, do you think we have an odd collection of people here?" Maycron asked all of a sudden.

" What are you talking about? You make it sound like Melanie is making some sort of mistake taking all of us along on this trip," Soreen rebutted.

Maycron wasn't too sure about it. The group was indeed made up of strange people. Flick and Camelia were understandable enough, Melanie knew them for some time now, and it wouldn't be surprising to ask them to follow her along in this. However, none of the other people in the group seem to belong her.

Priestess Selene may be under Melanie, and being under the church and the army as well, but she had just recovered from her injuries, and it wasn't like Melanie to bring along a recently invalid soldier along on such an important mission. Maycron and Soreen may be part of her division, but he felt that they were just off too low rank to be here, considering the fact that they were new in the army and merely acolytes with barely any combat experience.

Vermillion was also a strange choice. It was well known that Vermillion and Melanie never got along well with anything, and Maycron even heard some rumours that they even attempted to kill one another two years ago. Vermillion was too wayward, rough, dangerous, and sadomasochistic for his taste. She was an excellent soldier in terms of combat and experience, but she was too rebellious for her own good, and from what Maycron could see, she was just so bloodthirsty when she gets in the mood, she could hardly be normal.

Then there were those members who were not affiliated to the army, or the church at all. Teranis, the alchemist, who was now chatting happily with Selene, was here because she was affiliated to Selene, and she was merely asked to come anyway. There was probably no motivation for her to come anyway, except maybe being asked by Selene. Then there is Azaroth's wizard pal, Tryzen. Sapphire may have a reason to be here, being in the reserve army, but Maycron could not imagine why Melanie would allow him here.

Then there was that elf 'princess' following them. Maycron didn't know too much about the elves, except that their hometown was deep in the forest of Payon. It was rare enough that an elf would show up here, but Maycron felt that it was just way too quick for Melanie to agree to allow Semilia to tag along with them. Maycron felt that Semilia might have some ulterior motive behind her actions, and that there was some reason why she was here, hunting this wizard with them.

He took a deep breath and exhaled loudly, making Soreen look at him oddly. Perhaps he was thinking too much, as Melanie had said he used to do all the time.

-

" So, what exactly happened between you two anyway?" Teranis asked Selene. Selene merely gave her an empty look, glancing to where Grimjaw was. After being healed, he curtly thanked her and moved off towards the side to rest, avoiding the rest of them. Teranis got a little interested in Azaroth's statement on her and Grimjaw.

" Nothing you should bother about," Selene answered.

" You sound like a tired old woman. You could at least amuse me a little, you know, after all the things you did to drag me from the confines of my nice little home," Teranis sarcastically replied.

" I'd rather discuss what we are going to do next after this," Selene replied morosely. " We came here in order to track down Treiken. Because of Grimjaw, w have now lost whatever trail we had of him. So, tell me, where should we look at next?"

" Assuming that he's run off, now, we will have to assume where he would head next. I think it might be safe to say he's run towards the Deathguise hideouts, and is now there. Thus, there is a high chance that he kept the two acolytes there as well. Now, the problem is where are they hiding," Tryzen said, walking up to join the discussion.

" Can't we just raid all their places?" Vermillion mused.

" If we could, we would have done so in the first place. First of all, we need a lot of man power to siege all the areas, which would prove difficult as we need to amass a large amount of people from the army," Sapphire replied. " Second, the sudden appearance of such a large official group from the army will only serve to warn the Deathguise guild that we are coming, thus serving no purpose. Besides, it's harder to coordinate movement and planning with such a large group anyway."

" So, what shall we do then?" Semilia asked, sitting by the side.

" First, we must think like Treiken...where will he head to next? Considering the fact that he might be chased by the army, and perhaps worried that he could be found out so quickly in Morroc, might put him on guard and he will most likely stick around within the main areas of influence of the Deathguise guild, and not some small hideout somewhere. Now, we know for certain that the two places of influence: the frozen city of Lutie, and the city of entertainment, Comodo. Not much of a start, but we have narrowed down most of the likely hood of his position to two cities. We easily sniffed him out in Morroc, and with some luck, we can sniff him out in one of the cities, provided that we go to the right one," Teranis spoke up after a while.

" An excellent suggestion...which city then?" Tryzen asked.

" This...Selene, you said you met him in the building. How was he dressed?" Teranis asked.

" What?" Selene replied, confused to the question being asked.

" Describe his attire to me," Teranis replied.

" Will that be relevant to how we may find him?" Selene asked.

" Look, slow pokes, using sheer logic, you can obviously know that the main difference in the snap of the mind is that Lutie, unlike Comodo, is covered in snow. If he was wearing something warm, or if his shoes were slightly wet, we can easily deduce that he's been to Lutie, either recently, or he was there," Teranis replied. " If he isn't, then tough luck, either place may be possible."

" His shoes were not wet, but the priest that was with him was, not to mention he had a jacket over his attire," Grimjaw replied.

" Well then, it would imply that the priest had been around Lutie. Question is, would it be enough to point us in the right direction?" Teranis mused. " Still, did he have anything odd on him?"

" Odd?" Selene asked.

" Only thing particular that I noticed about him was that he had this insignia on his chest, pinned on his shoulder," Melanie replied all of a sudden. The people who were converging around the area in their discussion looked at her as she approached them from behind. " Don't mind me...it's good to see you all discussion things...keeps one busy."

" What insignia?" Teranis asked.

" It's round, silver, has an intricate carving of a griffon on the top, mixed with two crosses, one of them in the shape of an X," Melanie replied.

" Why the heck did you pay so much attention to the pin on his chest?" Azaroth asked, who was right behind her. Grimjaw was carefully avoiding his gaze. He looked pretty calm now, but he wasn't too sure about that. If he could beat him once, he could beat him again.

" Because that's the Laverstine Brand symbol, not that we can expect a person who has no knowledge in current fashion to know about...apparent from the way you dress," Teranis replied.

Azaroth gave a good look at himself while the rest of them snickered or giggled under their breath. Azaroth never had any prior, official training under the Guild of Knights, thus is an unofficial ranked knight under the jurisdiction of the army. He had never registered himself under Prontera as a swordsman, let alone a knight, since normally people would register themselves in the city. Azaroth was one of the few rare cases where they trained themselves, having a sort of haphazard fighting style at best, but sometimes, especially in Azaroth's case, still effective nonetheless.

However, even a knight by skill, Azaroth wasn't really interested in wearing the typical armour all the knights don on themselves. He found it cumbersome, and since his fighting style relies on speed rather than defense, it would cause problems when he fought. Comparatively, he was dressed like a swordsman, although his attire was a little more shabby and different than the normal swordsman attire. He had a shirt over a leather vest, and a cotton jacket on the outside, coupled with his long pants. Instead of greaves, he opted to wear a set of safety shoes, looking very clunky yet light. His leather belt allowed him to hang his swords at the sides, and a pair of fingerless leather gloves completed the set.

" That hunk of an armour piece will just slow me down anyway. I'd like to see you catch me while wearing one," Azaroth remarked, sounding lithe, yet calm, knowing Teranis said that as a mere joke. " Besides, I do know some fashion. Laverstine brands are only available in Lutie, thus showing that there is a high chance that our good friend Treiken has been hanging around a chilly place."

Everyone turned and look at Melanie. It was up to her to make the final decision.

" We don't really have a choice. Splitting ourselves would be troublesome...to the frozen plains then," she replied.


	14. Chapter 13: The Frozen Plains

**Chapter 13: The Frozen Plains**

Meillienne wasn't too sure where she was. The last couple of days have been a blur to her. After being captured from the forest, she had been dragged from place to place, through one warp portal to another. She had lost her sense of time and direction for a while now, and she felt scared.

The place she was in was obvious. Her captors had thrown her and Caris into a dungeon cell, a dark, small room cell with stone walls all over the place. There was a small window somewhere high up, too far up for either of them to reach to look outside, its only purpose was to allow them to breathe slightly. As far as Meillienne could recall, after being in the cell for so long, she never saw any sunlight coming in from the outside. A large wooden door blocked their only escape, opened only when their captors decided to feed them, usually just a bowl of soup and some bread.

She had been worried ever since. Although they have not harmed her or Caris, except for the time when she struggled too much, they have yet to do anything with them. Meillienne could not fanthom why they would want her alive for. To serve what purpose? Furthermore, she was afraid of Caris's life, looking at her lying slumped before her feet. The only reason they were keeping her alive was because she might take drastic actions if they killed her. Once used, Caris could be disposed off easily.

Meillienne turned around when Caris groaned and got up, stretching herself slightly. The red-haired acolyte was slightly older than her in age, but way much older in terms of wisdom and experience. Meillienne had to admit that her companion had a lot of guts. Caris was no doubt an acolyte in training like she was, but she had this tough, firm exterior, almost like some hardened soldier, perhaps possessing more discipline than Maycron, even if he had been in the army longer than her. Meillienne had seen her single-handedly try to take down the cell guards by herself, although the attempt failed, since they were still here.

" Is it morning now?" Caris asked.

" I think it is…how's your head?" Meillienne asked.

" I'll live, I believe…or maybe not, if I try something like that again," Caris replied, rubbing the spot where she had been hit previously by the guards for attempting something bold. Truth was, Caris was about as terrified as Meillienne was, but she decided that they have to do something about it anyway.

" That's good to hear," Meillienne replied.

" Maybe…how are you today?" Caris asked.

" Cold…" Meillienne replied.

Caris picked herself up and sat down next to Meillienne, who was leaning propped against a wall, and placed her hands over her shoulders and rubbed the girls shoulders to keep her warm. Meillienne blushed slightly as she felt very comfortable with the older companion hugging her snuggly.

" Better?" Caris asked, smiling.

" Much…" Meillienne replied, giggling.

" Do you think that the army might come for us?" Caris asked.

" Of course," Meillienne replied confidently.

" What makes you so sure? Not trying to be pessimistic, but it might be highly risky for the army to send out their troops just for a couple of acolytes…well, and we aren't really particularly an interesting bunch to rescue anyway…not that I have anything about you being Morrocan," Caris added quickly.

Meillienne merely smiled. " Maybe, but I know someone who will come and help us, no matter what the circumstances, even if he has to drag his body here at any cost," Meillienne answered. Caris looked slightly confounded at the confidence Meillienne had on her face, her suddenly radiant face brightening up the place all of a sudden.

" Who?" Caris asked curiously.

-

Azaroth scanned the entire area. Lutie was perpetually covered in snow, and will probably always be. The city was not too far off, sitting at some distance, and they only entered from a distance as to not make their presence known to the members of the Deathguise guild that might just be lurking around the place. The place looked gloomy and grey from the lack of sunshine, and Azaroth could see why. Dark clouds covered the sky, blocking out heat and light, raining down snow and snowflakes all over the place. The placed chilled him slightly.

" What a dump," Tryzen remarked.

" I agree," Azaroth said, shivering slightly. Even with the slight detour back to Prontera to get some warmer clothing still made Azaroth feel the chill in his bones, a feeling he distinctly hated. He was among the only one in the entire group, save for Grimjaw, who had not travelled to a cold place, nor enjoyed the feeling. He was quite surprised to see Grimjaw withstanding the cold, even if he never explored much of other places out of Morroc.

" I second that," Vermillion replied.

Of course, there were still oddities in their group.

Vermillion stood proudly over the small knoll they were on, scanning the city as well. Unlike the rest of them, Vermillion was the only person, or idiot, who decided not to wear anything warm, just her usual monk's uniform. Azaroth had a large, thick cape wrapped around his body, and Tryzen had an extra jacket along with a cape to keep him warm, but both of them could still see Vermillion was bold, or strong enough, to leave some parts of her body exposed to the chilling air. Then again, Vermillion was never normal in the first place, as Tryzen suspected that she had some sort of odd mental disorder, and perhaps being slightly crazy allowed her to withstand the cold.

" What are you chowderheads talking about?" Melanie asked harshly as she walked up to them.

" Nothing, surveying the city and trying to keep warm," Azaroth replied.

" What a pussy," Melanie sighed.

" Hark, it's not like I got extra fat on other parts of my body," Azaroth replied.

Melanie raised her eyebrow at the remark, looking annoyed and amused at the same time. After a while, she huffed and walked back towards where the rest of them were waiting, her footsteps sounding heavy.

" Cheeky…even with your superior officer," Tryzen replied.

" Hey, I've got a bad influence from you," Azaroth remarked.

-

Vermillion, Azaroth and Tryzen returned back to the entire troop after a while, both men shivering in the cold. The rest of them were huddled under a large tree, situated at the nearby forest at the outskirts of the forest that surrounded the city. All of them sat around quietly, not wanting to expend more energy than they have to.

" Alright, so we are now currently in Lutie, but as of yet, we have no clue as to what is happening with the man we are chasing after, nor the guild he has affiliated himself to, or where the acolytes are. So, we will have to do this the hard way: we will split up in pairs, and enter the town and search slowly," Melanie replied to the rest of them. They all nodded their heads in agreement.

" I'll settle the allotments: Maycron will come with me; Soreen, go with Azaroth; Vermillion, you are with Teranis, Flick and Camelia, as per usual; and the married couple go together," Melanie replied. " Report back in two hours, and we will see what to do then."

" Wait a second, why am I…?" Grimjaw started.

" You have proven to be a but of a liability to the team, so until I deem you useful, you will sit this one out, and will keep quiet about it," Melanie replied sternly, in which Grimjaw backed down immediately.

" What about me?" Semilia asked. " I'm sure I'm not…"

" As far as I am concerned, your attitude towards my second-in-command is not helping matters," Melanie replied sternly towards Semilia as well. Semilia stopped, as if she had suddenly been doused in cold water. Azaroth did his best to stifle his snicker, turning his back and decided the snow was something much better to observe. " I don't know what you have with him, but any problems you have with him can be directed towards him after we are done with this. If you insist on cooperating with us, then I will need you to cooperate with him, as much of a scumbag he really is…"

" What?! That's not…"

" …Fine…" Semilia sighed darkly.

" As for your animal companions, we cannot bring them because too much attention will be brought on their behalf. The guild has been alerted to our presence already in Morroc, and even going in like this might prove to be risky. There is no need to extra attention," Melanie replied. " Selene, I need you here to oversee them, and to serve as a meeting point. Can I count on you to do that?"

Selene merely nodded her head in agreement, not arguing at all.

" Well then, it is done. We will meet back here in two hours. Semilia, you go with Azaroth, and if I hear any complains about you from him, I'll deal with you personally," Melanie replied, flicking her hand at Maycron to signal him to follow.

-

Just like the skies, Lutie was quite grey and dull. The lack of sunlight meant lack of activity, and it was evident in the place. People shuffled along the streets slowly, all covered in thick clothing to keep themselves warm. Cold was an excellent way of stifling ones actions, and Lutie just proved that.

Regardless, the white snow was still beautiful to Azaroth's eyes. It suddenly struck him how much of a village boy he was, amazed at such a boring, plain sight such as snow. He had not seen snow in his life, and only listened to it in conversations. Coming first hand to see something he only heard in tales only made the vastness of the great white plains much more alluring. He merely cracked a grin as he strolled through town.

The streets were caked in a layer of snow as he walked through it. It was quiet town, only a few hawkers about selling their wares. Most of the buildings were single-storied, mainly made of stone, possibly carved from the nearby mountains. A few army personal were out and about, but nothing much to look at. Prontera had some influence in Lutie, but the small squadron is about the best they have.

" Where should we start looking, Commander?" Soreen asked.

" Tsk, tsk, tsk…where are your manners, Soreen?" Azaroth chided

" Oh…I'm sorry…" Soreen said, blushing slightly, which to Azaroth's opinion looked cute, especially with a snowy background to accentuate it. Maycron might have a field day if he knew what Azaroth was thinking about his girlfriend right now. " …where should we start looking, Azaroth?"

" Much better…" Azaroth sighed.

Azaroth always had a thing about younger people, especially girls, calling him Commander, or Captain, or previously Lieutenant. Calling him by rank always made him feel old somehow, which he disliked. Soreen merely expressed her respect towards him by calling him commander just because he was next in command of this ragtag group of people, not really because he was a real commander in rank.

General soldiers in the army, those who make up most of the places in the platoons usually don't have a rank. Second-in-commands of the platoons were given the rank of Lieutenants, and the leaders of those platoons Captains. Anyone of a higher rank, regardless of the status from an assistant Squadron commander to the top Division commander, were all addressed as Commanders. Right now, since he currently held the command to the 5th Platoon of Melanie's Squadron, he was only a Captain by rank.

" Nothing much. I'd rather avoid the usual places to look for them, just in case they are keeping an eye on us at taverns or inns and the sort. We will just need to look around to keep any eye on things," Azaroth said.

" Wouldn't that be a bit difficult? I mean, there aren't many people here, and we usually stand so far away from them as they are so widely spaced," Soreen replied.

" Relax, we've got Semilia here. I bet her elven eyes are sharp enough," Azaroth said, turning around to look behind him.

Semilia followed him at a distance, eying him with slight contempt, which was amplified when he spoke to her. Azaroth wondered if it was a bad move on Melanie's part to keep Semilia with him. Although her attitude improved slightly from Melanie's harsh words, she still kept her reservations, and the aura she emitted seem to blacken the area around her, or at least that was what Azaroth felt.

" I'm joking. I'm sure you can take a joke," Azaroth replied, attempting to lighten up the situation. Soreen looked worriedly at both the elf and her platoon commander, worried something might break out between them. " Look, I'm not too fussy with why you hate me, alright? Heck, I doubt I'll rat on you even if you do mistreat me. You could at least do me the favour by telling me why you hate me."

Semilia merely narrowed her eyes further when he spoke, but remained silent.

" It's not wise to provoke her…I hate to imagine what would happen if she was really angry with you," Soreen warned.

" Come now…I've handled Melanie already. If I can take on a woman like her, I can take on anything," Azaroth replied, grinning. Soreen gave him a look of surprise, then laughed in agreement with him.

-

" Well, what exactly are we supposed to look for?" Flick asked as both him and Camelia walked down the streets of Lutie, away from the other pairs. Camelia looked irritated somehow, as if asking a question was testing her nerves in a way. Flick caught the look on her face, and shut up at once.

" Just shut up and use your brains for once," Camelia sighed.

" This is just very tiring. We don't even know if they are here, and here we are, walking around in circles just trying to find some random clue that might lead us to them. The odds are against us," Flick replied.

" Just shut up for once and look around," Camelia replied. " Melanie is depending on it, and you are not helping."

" Alright, alright…geez…" Flick replied, wanting her to stop talking him down on the subject.

However, Camelia shared his sentiments. This was still highly irregular. They still had no idea on the guild activities, and they were barging in here without any clue. Perhaps Melanie was desperate to act since she didn't have any clue to work on, but then again, the odds are the Deathguise guild will be on their guard, so tracking them down quietly might be a waste of time anyway. Besides, the time for them to act is shortening. If they don't find the acolytes fast enough, Camelia hated to think of what would happen.

" Why do I get the feeling that someone is watching us?" Flick spoke up again.

Camelia, on normal occasions, would talk him down once more, saying paranoia was somehow washing over his body and he was too much of a spineless Picky to do anything, but then again, Flick had an unusual, uncanny six sense when it came to things like these, especially on dangerous missions like these. If Flick felt his mother's ghost was speaking to him right now, she'd believe him.

" Where?" Camelia asked.

" I don't know…" Flick replied.

However, another annoying feature he had was not being able to know what was actually stalking him, if he knew somehow someone was stalking him.

Camelia and Flick looked around. The area wasn't really populated with people, so they looked around carefully. Camelia wondered if an assassin or rogue from the guild had caught wind of them and was now watching them carefully. The guild might be alerted, and their trip to Lutie might be a very short one.

However, her glance fell upon a singular person, mainly due to the fact that he was acting very strangely. He was wrapped in a dark red cloak around his body, with a mask over his face. Very peculiarly, he was standing right in the middle of the road, about 10 meters away from them, staring at them with his sharp looking eyes. Camelia had no idea why he was there.

" A member of the guild?" Camelia asked.

" Maybe," Flick replied, his hand going to his sword, but keeping it inside his sheath.

The person merely looked at them. After what felt like an antagonizing minute, he turned around and slowly walked away, heading towards the edge of the city. Camelia and Flick merely looked at him curiously. As he reached the edge of the city, he paused, and turned around and looked at them once more.

" I think he wants us to follow him," Flick replied.

Camelia wasn't sure if she wanted to agree with him. If he was their enemy, he wouldn't let his presence be known to them so easily, since even novices had even better stealth skills than he had. Also, if he was about to tell his master on what was going on, he sure is not going to do it at such a leisurely pace.

Carefully, they took a few steps forward. The person turned around once more and walked. Camellia and Flick paused after a while, and the man paused again, turning around to look at them. Feeling a little bit bolder, they continued forward. They tailed him from behind, going out of the city limits. As they neared the city edge, the man suddenly took off, and before they could start running after him, he had vanished from sight.

" Most likely an assassin," Flick said, sighing.

" What did he want to do with us?" Camelia asked. She looked around. All she saw was the plain landscape of the Lutie plains, all the frozen white area, blanketed in snow, quiet and tranquil. If the assassin wanted them to see something, she could not spot it.

" Hmm…"

Camelia looked up towards where Flick was pointing when he raised his hands. Up towards one of the mountain passes stood several old castles. They used to serve as watch-posts and old siege fortresses during the old wars between Lutie and Geffen, now long left abandoned as there was no further use for them.

One specific castle had its lights on.

-

" I'm cold," Iris replied, hugging herself and shivering slightly. " I'm never going to get used to cold."

Crystal merely shuffled about Patch as he laid down quietly, looking rather restless without Semilia around to keep a leash on him. Crystal looked worriedly at him, wondering if the wolf might do anything rash. She glanced at the rogue and the priestess who were sitting some distance away. Crystal wondered what was up with them.

Grimjaw sighed quietly as he looked at Lutie, the city glowing slightly under the few lights they had. It gave him a very melancholic feeling, this feeling being further enhanced by the cold weather. He looked at Selene, who was keeping her distance from him. There still were things left unsettled with them, but Grimjaw wasn't in the mood to deal with them.

" So, how was Morroc?" Selene suddenly spoke.

It surprised Grimjaw slightly when Selene spoke to him. It wasn't harsh or as cold as he had expected, but still had an air of reservation about her. She didn't look at him directly, obviously avoiding his gaze.

" Fine…looks like shit as per usual," Grimjaw replied.

" Why did you bother going back?" Selene asked.

" …"

" Why?" Selene asked, slightly more forceful right now.

" I've already told you my reasons, Selene. Whether you want to accept them or not is another matter," Grimjaw replied. He would like to let this conversation carry on, but there was a limit to his patience on the subject. As much as he would like to speak, he decided he wasn't worthy enough.

However, Selene suddenly closed in on him, and stood over him like some overbearing figure. " You are lying, Grimjaw. I've listened to your reasons to why you wanted to go back, but it's a lie from the very start. You didn't go back because you couldn't live a Pronteran life, to change anew. You are hiding something from me," Selene spoke.

" …I'm not…"

" I didn't live till this long without knowing how to discern lies, Grimjaw. If you can hone your senses to sense whether one is telling the truth or not, then so can I," Selene replied. Grimjaw stood up and walked away, not wanting to hear it anymore. It pained him deeply to discuss it. " Why are you lying to us, Grimjaw? Why are you lying to your sister and me?"

Grimjaw attempted to ignore her statement.

" Am…Am I…not worthy enough for your trust?" Selene asked.

The words hit him like a wall of bricks, and he stopped in his tracks. Looking back at her, he could see tears welling up slightly in her eyes. Grimjaw didn't like that look. Not one bit.

" It's not because I don't trust you, Selene…matter are more complicated than that," Grimjaw replied.

" But…!"

" Sorry to butt in on such a sensitive occasion, but Obelisk and Peineya are missing!" Iris said suddenly slithering up between both of them. Grimjaw and Selene looked at her shocked, before glancing around. The Munak and Bongun were now missing.

-

Somewhere deep within the frozen plains of the city, slightly to the north, was a rather empty space of land next to a whole set of hills and mountains. The landscape of this place was uneven, with pieces of earth coming up from the ground. It was on this place stood a lone figure of a young woman, dressed in black robes with a black, twisted looking staff in her hand. Right beneath her, a large circle covered the area, surrounding her in red, glowing runes, most of the words illegible except save for a few people, except her.

" Not good…it isn't good enough," she spoke to herself. She waved her hand about, as if to test the power the magic runic circle radiated. She rubbed her fingers together, then muttered once more. " Hmm, still useless…Treiken better make a good job out of it, or else his soul is mine for the keeping."

There was some shuffling somewhere, and she turned around casually. Out of nowhere, a Munak came up to her, hopping up towards the edge of the circle, followed closely by a Bongun.

" Wow, didn't think I'd draw anything here with such a seal, but…" the woman spoke, but then paused for a while. " Hmm…you aren't bounded by anything magical, yet…you belong to someone, don't you?"

" Who are you, strange woman? You look like some sort of witch" the Bongun asked, all of a sudden. The Munak stayed quiet, merely looking at the red runic circle that had somehow drawn her here all of a sudden.

" My name doesn't really matter to mere undead such as you, but if you really want to know, it's Tyranus. I'm busy testing something here, and my magic has somehow drawn you two here. It's highly unlikely that two undead creatures that originate from the caves of Payon would be wandering so far away from your place, so I assume that you must have some master that you follow. However, somehow, there are no magical enchantments binding your souls."

" We aren't pets, if that's what you mean. We are following Semilia on our own will," the Bongun replied. Tyranus narrowed her eyes when she heard the name Semilia, and then smiled to herself. The bongun caught the smile, then asked " Why are you smiling?"

" Nothing, I never thought she would make it this far," Tyranus replied, licking her lips. The Bongun looked at her quizzically, wondering what this strange woman was up to, while the Munak merely watched passively. " So, she owns a pair of undead with wills. A rare find, I must say."

" Rare find?" the Bongun asked.

" Undead are merely vessels of their former existences, brought back by dark magic to serve, or merely to just roam the earth till their bodies fall apart like their souls once did. Only higher class beings can still retain their souls and personalities, and free will, after being brought back as an undead. What a lovely coincidence to meet you two here," Tyranus replied, laughing.

The Bongun merely looked at her as she giggled to herself while snapping her fingers. The red runic circle started to disappear slowly, and faded into nothing, as if it were never there before. " Now, I have business to tend to, but I'm sure I'll see you two sometime soon," she replied, before snapping her fingers, purple sparks flying all around before she disappeared into nothingness.

" Obelisk, Peineya! What are you doing here?!" Selene's voice called out to them. Both of them turned around to see the rest of them running up to the two of them. Iris came up and grabbed Obelisk with one of her arms, picking him up like some rag doll, and shook him around violently. " You had us worried, why did you go off like that?...Iris, stop, his neck might break."

" I bet it was your fault…" Iris growled, shaking him even harder.

" Don't bully him," Crystal replied. Grimjaw noticed Patch seem to be making some funny noise under his breath, as if the wolf was laughing somehow.

" Wasn't my fault. Peineya and me were drawn here all of a sudden by some weird force, so we came, moving along the place step by step, it was cold, but heck, we didn't really mind, and we met this lady who was standing here, with some magic, snapping her fingers and all, glowing circle under her feet, and she talked to us, and then she made the glowing circle go away, then disappeared as well," Obelisk answered, before Iris pummeled him on the head. " What was that for?!"

" That's for lying, you lousy dead piece of flesh!" Iris hissed loudly at him.

" What?! It's true! Peineya, tell them what I said is true!" Obelisk groaned.

Peineye didn't move, but merely nodded her head as she continued to look around passively, without any emotion. Grimjaw and Selene looked at each other, not too sure what to make of the current events that had just happened.


	15. Chapter 14: Lutie Hunt

**Chapter 14: Lutie Hunt**

" So, what do you think?" Flick asked.

Camelia managed to find Melanie, Maycron, Tryzen and Sapphire and got them to the spot where they spotted the castle. All of them looked at the lit up castle, wondering what was up with it. Melanie had her hands crossed, frowning at the sight. Flick and Camelia explained the appearance of that strange assassin and how they got to this place. They stood at the edge of Lutie's limits, looking up at the place.

" Well, it certainly is peculiar," Tryzen replied.

" I've checked with the sentries situated around the area. As far as they were concerned, none of the castles were lighted up two days ago, so whatever it is, it was done recently. I've asked the sentries to not look into the matter as we might be investigating it, just in case it has some relation to the person we are hunting," Camelia replied.

" I know, but still...all this sounds fishy..." Sapphire replied. "If he was trying to help you, why did he act as such, using such a cryptic way to communicate with you? Why not speak directly?"

" Maybe he could not do so," Maycron replied.

" For what reason then?" Tryzen asked.

" This all sounds too fishy, but nevertheless, I have a strange gut feeling about it anyway. We'll search it out in a while," Melanie replied, ending the discussion. She took out her pocket watch and looked at the time. " We still have 15 minutes left. Let's head back and get together with the others first and then discuss our next move."

-

Azaroth had no luck in finding anything. He went to all the sentry posts, hotels, areas of interests, people's places to ask for any relative information pertaining to his mission, but came up with nothing at all. The lack of getting anything made him slightly grumpy, and with Semilia's boorish attitude, it didn't help matters one bit. Time was almost up anyway, and they were supposed to go back and report what they could find. Azaroth hoped the rest of them had something to present.

The wind suddenly picked up all of a sudden, sending the chilling winds to beat against his body. He rubbed his hands together, hoping the friction could keep him marginally warmer. The chill was disturbing, and he wanted to get to some place warmer. However, he felt something odd about the wind. It didn't feel normal, but it felt...magical somehow.

" Spread out!" he exclaimed.

" What?!" Both Soreen and Semilia asked.

" Now!" Azaroth yelled, shoving Soreen aside while he ran towards the opposite direction.

The wind picked up all of a sudden, and Azaroth leaped aside as a whirlwind of icy cold wind started to swirl all around the area where they originally stood. He hit the snowy floor and rolled himself to a stop. Someone had casted a Storm Gust spell on the spot where they stood, and the cracking sound of ice freezing the area reminded Azaroth of what would have happened if they got caught in the spell.

" Azaroth, help!" Soreen cried out.

All of them managed to get out from the circumference that the spell surrounded, but unfortunately for Soreen, her feet were still within the circle when the spell started to take effect, and both her feet were encased in blocks of ice that were solidified on the ground itself. Azaroth could not spot a wizard in the vicinity, but another Storm Gust spell had started to begin, centering on Soreen, who lay helpless on the ground.

Azaroth didn't hesitate one bit. He took off, sprinting as fast as his legs could carry his body. In an instant, he drew his sword, and as soon as he was a step away from Soreen's prone body, swung both his swords down, making contact with the ice blocks that held her feet in place, shattering them upon impact. However, he could not judge the impact perfectly and under such situations, he swung with more force than he required, and the blades nicked deep gashes on Soreen's leg as he smashed the ice pieces apart. Soreen gave a cry of pain as Azaroth cut her heels. Throwing his swords aside, he picked up the wounded Soreen and ran out of the spell area as fast as he could run.

Azaroth managed to leap out of the area of effect of the spell before anything serious happened, leaping aside and rolling painfully on the floor, Soreen clutched in his arms. He was covered in a thin layer of frost and ice, having taken most of the attack by wrapping Soreen as much as he could with his arms.

" Semilia, the rooftops!" Azaroth exclaimed.

Semilia didn't need to be told. She had already started to scale the walls of the nearest building that was next to them. Once on the roof, she started to fire at some random target Azaroth could not see. She soon gave chase, disappearing from view.

" Are you alright? Sorry I hit your legs," Azaroth apologised.

" That's alright," Soreen replied, wincing. She placed her hands on the wounds on her heels, and soon enough, both her hands and her wounds started to glow. Soon enough, the cuts started to heal. Patting Soreen on the head, Azaroth went up to pick up his weapons, and tore after Semilia. " Wait here!" Azaroth ordered as he ran through one of the alleyways below the rooftops.

-

Semilia easily ran along the tiled rooftops of the Lutie houses, chasing quickly after the wizard who was now running away from her. Semilia would catch up to him anyway, since wizards were usually not physically fit most of the time, spending too much time researching spells and arcane magic to even bother to take a stroll. She easily caught up with him, and pulled her bow tightly and letting an arrow fly.

However, as she did that, the wizard spun around all of a sudden, and an ice wall suddenly shot up right in front of him. The solid block of ice disallowed the arrow from striking the wizard, smashing into pieces upon impact, merely chipping off a minute proportion of the ice wall. Semilia skidded to a halt as the wizard turned around to face her.

" Running was futile...about time you realised that," Semilia replied, arming two arrows on her bow.

" Running? Hardly. I just needed a change in environment to deal with you personally," the wizard replied.

Semilia narrowed her eyes as she cautiously observed her surroundings. They were alone, somewhere on top of the rooftops of the houses of Lutie. Semilia wondered if she had been lured here into a trap, or if one of his companions was hiding in the shadows, ready to ambush her. She could not see anything visible, but then again, assassins and rogues usually seem that way.

The ice wall melted a second later, possibly dispelled by the wizard, and all of a sudden, he was fired ice bolts from the palm of his hands. Semilia immediately kicked off, leaping towards her right and letting loose her arrows almost in unison. They were met with another wall of ice, dropping harmlessly before the wizard.

Semilia started running around in circles as the wizard took several shots at her occasionally. Her distance was too far away for her to quickly flank him before he could set up another defensive wall to guard himself. She braced herself, and after avoiding another ice bolt, dashed right up to him, closing the distance between them as fast as she could.

However, the wizard had a solution to her actions. He set up a couple of ice walls in front of him, and did some quick spellcasting. All of a sudden, Semilia felt a familiar chill as the winds picked up all around her. Greatly alarmed, she leaped away, barely managing to avoid the Storm Gust spell as the icy winds whirled all around the wizard. Although the spell was centered on the wizard himself, he was unharmed. No doubt, having mastered the method to cast an area of effect spell without harming himself. Ice seemed to be his specialised element.

Semilia felt that she was in a slightly dilemma. The wizard was skilled enough to keep her at a distance, and he had enough precision and skill to avoid her arrows. From the looks, she figured he probably had more magic and energy than she had stamina and arrows to attack. If this came down to a fight of attrition, she would run out of things to shoot than him having spells to fire.

Semilia drew her bow for another shot nonetheless, but this time, the wizard managed to fire at her before she could pull off the shot or avoid it. The ice bolts slammed into her arrow, and blasted her right in her face. Semilia gave a yell, before falling back, her weapon dropping on the snowy rooftop, her hands covered in a layer of frost from the spell, which numbed her hands immensely.

The wizard stepped up towards her confidently, now that he had unarmed her. " Too bad about that..." he snickered.

A second later, he was suddenly hit in the shoulder by a small knife. He winced in pain as the weapon pierced his shoulders, forcing him to reel backwards. Semilia leaped to her feet, snarling at him, somehow managing to throw a knife with her hands half frozen. Perhaps not perfectly, as she intended to strike his head.

" Bows aren't my only weapon, human scum!" she replied.

The wizard raised one of his arms to cast another ice bolt at Semilia, but the pain and the slight loss of blood made him loose focus slightly, and Semilia closed the distance between them, stopping the spellcasting by slamming into him, gripping the knife and sinking it even further. The wizard gave a loud howl of pain, only to be swiftly silenced when Semilia grabbed his face, and using the momentum of her run, push him off his feet and slam his head on the solid floor, or on the case, rooftop, and he instantly lost consciousness.

" How unsightly for a huntress...resorting to hand-to-hand combat now?" a female voice asked. Semilia looked behind her quickly, only to spot a female assassin standing right behind her. The assassin dropped her arms, the blades of her katars flicking out, and with one step, leaped at Semilia. She didn't have time to react to the attack, but she didn't need to. With an alarming speed, something stood between both of them, the sound of blades sinking into flesh ringing in the air, and blood which was not Semilia's splattering all over her face.

" How unsightly for an assassin to backstab people when they are not looking...oh wait, my bad, that's what all you scumbags always do anyway," Azaroth replied, gritting his teeth as he attempted to smile at the assassin. The female assassin drew her hand back when Azaroth attempted to grab it and hold her in place, skipping back a few steps. Azaroth took a deep stab wound to his abdomen, although he still managed to withstand the attack, despite the blood that was dripping from his body. " Is this your customary style of saying hello, Mayris? Don't mind me, I can recognise that bitch of a minorus face anywhere within the next one mile."

" Wow, we have gotten so well acquainted in such a short period of time, have we?" Mayris replied. " Looks like the army has gotten here rather quickly. Either you all have good noses, or someone is spilling some odd beans or two. Fortunately, I observed that you all have been walking around mainly in pairs. I'll just deal with you, then settle that lone acolyte you left behind."

" You sound confident...I don't know where that confidence comes from," Azaroth replied.

Mayris rushed up towards him, her katars whipping at him from the sides. Azaroth drew out his Tsurugi and parried the on-coming cross slash , his hands vibrating against the strike. However, Azaroth gagged as Mayris shot her leg upwards and kicked him painfully in his wounded area.

" You have a huntress who has her hands frozen and cannot shoot anything out of her hands to save her life, and you have suffered a wound on your abdomen, unfortunately non-fatal, but nonetheless, good enough to slow you down while I take you apart," Mayris replied.

Semilia frowned. The assassin was right. Her hands were too cold to hold anything properly, and they shook as the ice started to draw out her strength. Azaroth was still wounded, and there was no way they could fight against a skilled assassin such as Mayris.

" I don't know what the hell you are talking about," Azaroth replied smugly. Mayris drew her hands back, about to give another strike when all of a sudden, her eyes suddenly widened in fear. Semilia wondered what made her react like that. Mayris seemed to be shaking slightly as she looked at Azaroth's determined face, and Semilia turned around to look at him, which was nothing impressive. However, the thing that had disturbed Mayris was not the looks on Azaroth's face, but his wound.

Through the ripped part of his leather vest, they could clearly see his wound sealing itself up together. It wasn't as quick as when one would use a healing spell on the wound, but it was refutable that his wound was closing up. The five centimeter wide cut closed itself up, until it there was nothing left but his unmarked, bloodied skin. Azaroth let out a sigh, before drawing his second weapon.

" How..." Mayris gasped, taking an involuntary step backwards. " How...is that...possible..." Semilia also took another involuntary step back as well. Azaroth healed his injuries without any problems, without a healing spell, or anything that was vaguely a spell. He...self-regenerated all of a sudden. Semilia had heard of people, mainly crusaders and high class knights, who could recover from severe injuries by only having enough rest, allowing either their innate skills in which they have honed on their bodies or Holy properties they had infused themselves with, but this, was none of the above.

" Doesn't really matter how I do it...the thing that matters is that I did," Azaroth replied. " You shall do fine as a source of information."

Mayris leaped at him, swinging her katar at his head. He raised his sword quickly, Tsurugi meeting the blow to stop the katar from striking his head. Mayris disengaged her katar, did a quick spin around, before striking her arm at his gut. Azaroth saw the attack, and stepped back to avoid it, only to collide into Semilia, who stood next to him, slightly too dazed to react.

" What the...?! Out of the way! Stand aside unless you want to get diced into pieces!" Azaroth exclaimed.

Semilia didn't seem to hear him, and Mayris took this chance to strike at them. Grunting loudly, Azaroth grabbed Semilia around her waist, and with as much strength as he could muster, pulled both of them backwards, Mayris's katars missing by a fraction. After finding some distance, Azaroth unceremoniously dropped her to the ground, then moved up to engage Mayris.

Mayris whipped to the side, and Azaroth followed closely. He wasn't going to allow Mayris near Semilia, not while he could help it. Besides, since he had the advantage now, it would be best for him to push it.

With a sudden burst of speed, Mayris disappeared from Azaroth's view, but Azaroth could sense where she was headed. He swung his sword around, the blade clashing against metal as he parried the assassin's blow. He raised his second sword arm, and within the next second, before Mayris could react, he slammed his sword hard against her weapon, once again breaking the parts into pieces and shattering the broken weapons on the floor.

" I suggest finding a decent blacksmith than using these cheap imitation of a weapon," Azaroth replied.

_No, it was because I wasn't prepared..._ Mayris thought. _I can't imagine executing a bash attack using one sword arm while the other was engaged. _

Azaroth wasted no time in slamming the blunt end of his blade right at Mayris's forehead, the impact of the concussion knocking her unconscious. Azaroth breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at the unconscious assassin who lay at his feet. " Well, least I have something to report to now, at least," Azaroth muttered to himself, before turning to Semilia. " Hey, you alright?"

Semilia didn't answer. She knelt on the ground, holding her frozen hands together. " Sorry, I should have known," Azaroth replied, walking up to her and grabbing hold of her hand. However, as soon as he touched him, she pulled her hand back aggressively as if stung by electricity.

" Hey, take it easy. I'm trying to help. Your hands must be hurting. Let me..." Azaroth replied politely, but Semilia merely frowned at him, backing away. It was very obvious the elf wasn't really appreciative of his help. " Alright, sorry to have bothered you," Azaroth replied, backing off from her, feeling slightly affronted.

However, just as he stood up, Semilia spoke up. It wasn't a word of an apology, but a query.

" How...did you heal yourself?" she asked tersely.

Tyranus's lingering curse from the the previous time when she resurrected and reconstructed his body left him the slight ability of accelerated healing. However, over the year, he learned that this power was spread out all over his body. He found out that by concentrating this dark energy on selected wounds allowed for accelerated healing. Regardless, this rapid healing was limited to sealing wounds, and only one at a time. Still, healing spells were much more convenient, even if they do sting slightly when applied to him due to the clash of positive energy and his inert dark powers. He rarely used this, unless he really needed to utilise it, since: one, it wasn't normal; two, he disliked to explain it to people anyway. He spent one hour explaining to Selene the last time she visited him in the infirmary, and he wasn't in the mood to talk to some elf who hated his guts.

" It's too troublesome to explain. Maybe if you can sit down and drink tea with me without giving me a look that can kill, then perhaps I'll consider," Azaroth replied, sheathing his sword. " Come on, we need to at least thaw that hand, if not by me, at least someone else."

-

" So, the two undead creatures Semilia brought along went off on some random trip, and said they were attracted there by some runes on the floor and some woman in a black dress and a hat, and the reason they could not remember any more details is because they were drawn there by the odd magic, and can't seem to remember too much about why they trotted off in the first place?" Melanie repeated, her arms folded, not amused at this out of place story when Selene and Grimjaw explained it to her when she returned.

" Pretty much it," Selene replied.

" Does this somehow tie in with our mission at hand?" Maycron asked.

" It could...stranger things have happened. But, what could the significance be?" Teranis asked.

" We shall answer our riddles later. Right now, we are going to focus our efforts on the castle itself," Melanie replied. " By the way, where is Azaroth's group? He's five minutes late." Tryzen wanted to comment that it was merely 'five minutes late', but then again, he figured after sticking around such a commander for the last two years of his life, Azaroth would be more understanding of her mood swings.

" Maybe something came up," Vermillion said, lying on the cold, snowy ground, her arms folded on her back. The rest of them gave her sharp glances, which she chose to ignore.

" We were sort of held back, but we brought some gifts, Melanie, so don't hate me, alright?" Azaroth pleaded.

All of them turned around to see Azaroth walk up to them, followed by Soreen and Semilia behind him. He carried two people, apparently unconscious, and threw them in front of his feet roughly, before wiping the sweat off his face. It was fairly difficult to carry two people by himself, but he felt bad if he asked someone who's hands got frozen and still had some lingering hate, or a girl whom he accidentally cut her legs to help him carry a bunch of criminals.

" What is this?" Melanie asked, stepping up.

" Members of the Deathguise guild?" Sapphire mused.

" Yeah, they thought it was a good idea to ambush us, so we managed to kick some ass and brought them back here. Perhaps they could serve some function," Azaroth replied, grinning. He walked up to Grimjaw, who took an involuntary step backwards, even though Azaroth seemed to have a grin on his face. " Well, troublemaker, would you like to do the honours?"

_Writer's note: Sorry for the late update and missing one chapter a week ago. I had...stuff to deal with, and still will be fairly preoccupied._


	16. Chapter 15: Countdown

**Chapter 15: Countdown**

Footsteps echoed as a knight walked down a corridor somewhere in a dimly lit corridor. His metal greaves clanked noisly as he moved along the dark area, the stone walls broken and covered slightly in frost due to the chilling winds Lutie always bring. He reached a large metallic door, towering 15 feet higher than he was. He pushed the handle and entered, pushing with some effort, and entered the great hall of the old castle.

This place was, unlike for most parts of the castle, brightly lit. Old marble columns still stand after all these years being left untouched. Multiple torches were lined up along the walls, brightening the room, but the knight felt that the room was somehow glaring, and he was quite sure not all the light came from the torches themselves. Most of the room was empty, having no furniture around the place, as most of it was moved out, even if they were still functional. The only furniture left in the room was the throne seat left at the very end, and there sat someone, accompanied by a wizard standing right next to him.

The most peculiar thing about the great hall was of course the massive diagram on the floor right smack in the middle of the hall. It was square in shape, measuring 20 meters by 20 meters in size. It was painted white, possibly with paint, along with strange runic symbols the knight would not understand, nor wanted to. Several torches were placed at each end of the square, as if to signify points for people to stand.

The knight instantly bypassed this seal on the floor, knowing better than to step on it. The person sitting on the throne, with one leg thrown over the armrest for good measure, looked at his follower as he approached him, kneeling before the man and the wizard next to him.

" Master Kain, I bear…" the knight started.

" Yes, the army people are here, and the lights from the castle are probably attracting them to this place, and they will be here shortly. I planned on doing this two days from now, but then again, it seems that we need to push our schedule a little forward, no, Treiken?" the man named Kain replied casually. Treiken, who stood next to him, merely nodded.

The knight looked up in surprise at Kain, then bowed his head and said " Indeed, sir! Shall I then bring the acolyte in question?"

" No real need. I have asked someone to fetch her already. Go tell the others to keep any eye on the outposts," Kain replied laconically.

The knight merely nodded, then got up and walked out of the great hall. Kain and Treiken watched passively as the knight exited the room, closing the massive metal door behind him. After a while, Kain jumped off his seat, then started to pace around the area, looking slightly worried.

" They caught on pretty quickly. I thought Commander Aesis didn't want this search, that was why we delayed the initial process in the first place to suit us at a much better time," Kain replied.

" They might have come on their own accord," Treiken replied.

" Hmm?"

" The acolyte's elder brother, Grimjaw, is with the search team. He's definitely not affiliated to the army, and is possibly coming along on his own. With that, perhaps he had managed to collect an impromptu group of people who were willing enough to disobey Commander Aesis's order," Treiken answered. " However, Azaroth is with them."

Kain paused as he heard the name. " Well, that's troublesome. So, one of the Lord's vessels is here as well," Kain mused, pacing up and down now, frowning as he did so. " What do we do with him then?"

" Regardless, this mission takes priority before the vessels….Azaroth is expendable at this point onwards. If we are successful, then only can we then focus, and the other three who are with him," Treiken replied.

" Three? Which three?"

-

A stifled cry came out from the other side of the pine forest, stinging their ears. Teranis winced slightly at the sound go on for half an hour now. She turned to her good friend Selene, but she looked undisturbed. In fact, Selene looked glad somehow, and even though Teranis felt that was a very bad thing for a priestess to feel at the moment, she couldn't really blame her.

Some distance away Mayris stared defiantly at Grimjaw as he squatted down right in front of her. He twirled the bloodied Damascus her was holding in front of her, as she lay in a small pool of her blood. She merely spat the blood in her mouth at his face. Gimjaw caught the spit with his mouth in return, and spat it on the snowy floor.

" Defiant, are we?" Grimjaw snarled. " Tryzen, one more."

Tryzen, who was sitting cross-legged on the snowy floor not too far away, raised his hands, and after a moment, produced a small, intense flame floating on top of the palm of his hand. Grimjaw placed his Damascus in the middle of the flame, and it didn't take long for the metal to start to glow, first dull red then bright orange. As soon as he felt it was bright enough, Grimjaw drew his Damscus back, and sank it into whatever remained of Mayris's arm, and sliced it off.

Mayris screamed even louder than before, although most of her voice was muffled by Grimjaw who covered his hands over her mouth. The sizzling smell of burnt human flesh could be smelt all over the place, and it produced a delicious yet sickly taste in the air. Mayris started gasping loudly, breathing in and out hard, as if it could lessen the pain.

" Persistent, aren't you?" Azaroth asked, without pity in his voice.

" I…won't…betray…my…master…" Mayris gasped.

Azaroth was surprised Mayris managed to last this long. Over the past half an hour, Grimjaw, using the help from Tryzen's magic, had been chopping off parts of Mayris's arm bit by bit, first with her fingers, then parts of her forearm. By now, her entire left arm was already missing. The superheated blade made it easier for Grimjaw to rip through her bones, while at the same time, burned close her wounds, so that she wouldn't die from blood loss too soon. Grimjaw was absolutely ruthless. He managed to take the torture session so far without even flinching, without showing any emotion. Tryzen wasn't too used to this, closed his ears whenever Mayris screamed in pain.

" Final chance, tell us what we need to know," Grimjaw threatened, whispering in her ear.

" …Never, you bastard son of a slave. Your sister will die horribly, and there is nothing you can do about it…" Mayris replied confidently, although weak and tired.

Grimjaw didn't reply. He merely stood up, walked around the tree she was tied to and looked around at the back. " You heard all that, didn't you?" Grimjaw asked coldly.

The other wizard that they had managed to bring along whimpered at the sight of Grimjaw staring down coldly at him. Grimjaw flashed his Damascus right in front of his face, and he seemed to shrink in size.

-

" Remind me never to piss Grimjaw, or his sister, least I forget," Tryzen mused loudly as the three of them walked back towards the group, who were situated some distance away to spare them from the torturous session Grimjaw executed. Maycron and Soreen reeled back in terror as soon as they say Grimjaw: dark, angry, covered from head to toe in blood that wasn't his. Soreen found it hard to believe that her friend Meillienne could ever have such a brother.

Tryzen looked a bit sick, and Sapphire immediately got up to him and help him to sit down, looking like he was slightly tipsy. Azaroth's nerves were shaken slightly, but the sight of Mayris's bloodied, mangled body didn't intimidate him too much, although he was quite impressed, and shocked, at the degree of brutality Grimjaw executed. He had heard Grimjaw speak of torturing people casually, but he never knew how casually he could do it, and doing it so well. The jailers working in the deeper parts of Prontera's jail cells would hail him as a sort of God.

" Well?" Melanie asked, folding her arms.

" We bring news. The assassin didn't crack, but the wizard sure did. This is what we know: The Deathguise guild is indeed held up at the lighted castle, and both Meillienne and Caris are there," Azaroth replied.

" Really?" Selene exclaimed, standing up immediately.

" Yes, but wait, let me finish. The reason why they wanted them, or specifically Meillienne, was to complete some sealing spell of sorts. They will be executing the spell using her at midnight, which means we have just about 2 hours left. What this spell is, or what are its specifics are unknown to the wizard. Grimjaw has seen to that he has spoken the truth," Azaroth replied. " Looks like Tryzen's theory on why Meillienne was kidnapped is getting more credit."

Everyone seemed to freeze at the statement.

" We don't have time left! Let's go!" Vermillion exclaimed.

" Halt, V! I'm not finished!" Azaroth exclaimed. Vermillion looked at him quizzically. Taking a deep breath, he replied " Getting in won't be easy. The Deathguise guild has been notified, I believe, and since they now that the army is after them, they decided to push their plans two days in advance now."

Grimjaw felt an ominous pressure fall upon him, even if nobody really looked at him. More so when it came from Azaroth, who stood just right in front of him.

" However, the wizard has supplied us with some crude information about the castle in question," Azaroth said. " Now listen: the castle currently contains 80 of their members, so even at best it's almost 5 enemies to one person for us, which is quite a disadvantage. Now, they have some people stations at all the lookout points at the castle, plus the main gate. Thus, considering the direction, the south and east sides are guarded by the members, and so is the main gate."

" The castle doesn't have a moat, but it does have a drawbridge, and if this doesn't come down, the only other option is to scale the wall by ourselves, or blow a hole through the solid rocks to pave our way through. The castles interior is rather simple: the main castle grounds is about 100 meters in distance from the gate entrance to the castle entrance. The castle was meant to keep way more than 100 people, so we have space to our advantage. Straight through the castle will be the main great hall, were the supposed sealing spell is supposed to take place. The corridor around the great hall goes all around the great hall, ending at the back. Near the back entrance to the castle lies the stairways, the one leading down goes to the kitchen, several quarters and the dungeon cells. The one upstairs contains more living quarters and the rooftop."

" How accurate is this information?" Azaroth asked.

" The wizard was about to piss his pants, and Grimjaw can vouch that he was telling the truth, so I can almost certainly say it's 100 correct," Azaroth replied. Grimjaw looked at him in surprise. Slightly more than 12 hours ago he smacked him to the ground, and now he was ready to trust his words once more.

" Doesn't really matter. We can keep that into consideration, but more importantly, we need to get there now. We can decide on what to do once we see the exterior of the castle," Camelia replied.

" She's right, we've wasted time here while the clock ticks for the acolytes. Move out," Melanie replied. Everyone got to their feet in an instant, following her as she tracked up towards the castle.

-

Both Caris and Meillienne looked up when they heard the sound of the lock of their cell door grind loudly, and quickly swung open. Both of the acolytes leaned backwards as a knight entered the room, flanked by two assassins. Both acolytes kept quiet as the men stared at them hard.

It took them a while before the knight spoke, and he spoke in a deep, dark voice toards the two of them. " You are now needed, Meillienne. Come with us," the knight replied.

The two assassins stepped up towards them and roughly grabbed Meillienne. However, instantly, Caris shot up and grabbed one of the assassins by his neck, attempting to topple him. The assassin merely grunt, picked her off his shoulders easily as she was weak from the lack of sun and food, and slammed her hard on the wall. Caris gave a short cry of pain, coughing out blood.

" Leave her alone! I said, leave her alone!" Meillienne exclaimed, but the knight and the other assassin merely dragged her along. The assassin who attacked Caris gave the girl a sneer, before kicking the poor girl in the gut.

" When we have finished with her, I'll be back for you," the assassin replied.

Caris groaned as her captors walked out of the room, closing the door shut behind them, the grinding of the rusty locks sealing her in. There was a powerful seal set upon the entire castle, so Meillienne was unable to warp them out, and she would have done so if she could already. Caris pulled herself up, before muttering " …Shit…" under her breath darkly.

-

Meillienne quietly followed her captors as they took her along the corridors of the castle. There were only a few torches lighting up the area, but she had been in the dark cell for sometime now, so her eyes needed to adjust themselves. She had no idea where they were going, and she had lost all sense of direction. All that was on her mind was whether her friend Caris was alright or not.

" Relax, she isn't dead, but she will wish she was when I'm done with her," the assassin replied bracingly when he spotted the worried looks on Meillienne's face. He smiled as he enjoyed the look on the girl's terrified face.

" Stop scaring her already…let's get this over with and we can get out of here quick enough…" the knight muttered.

All four of them turned around the corner of the corridor, and they could see the entrance of the great hall at the end of the corridor. One of the assassins nudged Meillienne's back to make her move faster, feeling impatient with the speed she was walking at.

The knight looked up as another member of his guild walked up swiftly towards him. Meillienne kept her head low, not wanting to look at the man. " So, is this the prisoner in question?" the knight asked, pointing towards Meillienne.

" Yes, we are…"

The knight never got to finish his sentence. Meillienne heard the sound of someone drawing their swords, then, a sickening stabbing sound of sword piercing flesh, metal grinding against bone. Something warm and sticky splashed against her face, and when she attempted to look through the red, blood mask she now wore, she saw that the newcomer had stabbed the knight who took her out of the cell with his own sword, squeezing his blade through one of the niches of his armour, the blade sticking through his body.

" What are you doing?!" one of the assassins exclaimed, equipping his katar, but the knight took a quick step back and threw off his helm, and flicking out his own set of katars, cut off the ropes tying his armour together. The moment they snapped, they fell crashing onto the floor, nothing more than a piece of equipment to conceal the assassin who hid within it.

" Krayken!" one of the assassins exclaimed.

Krayken didn't wait. He moved with surprising agility and speed. With one swift leap, he had bounded over to the closest assassin and stabbed him in the neck, blood gushing out like some sort of fountain, pulling the katar out swiftly to rip his throat to pieces. The other assassin figured he would be better off using Meillienne as a shield, but as soon as he took a step towards her, Krayken rewinded his steps and met the assassin, his katars armed and ready, staring right at him with Meillienne caught in the middle of both of them. Krayken flung his hands around so fast it was a blur of movement. Within the next second, Krayken managed to strike a total of eight times, his dangerous weapons ripping the assassins arms apart, before Krayken tore his body into pieces. Meillienne winced as blood splattered all over her attire, drenching her in blood and gore.

She looked up towards her savior. Krayken looked down hard on her, his eyes narrowing when he saw her. Like the typical assassin, he had a mask over his face, the only thing recognizable from his face was his dark eyes and jet black hair, although even Meillienne wasn't too sure about this since there was quite an acute lack of light.

" Who…who are you?" Meillienne asked, trembling. She wasn't sure if he was there to save her yet, and his violent actions seemed to paralyze her somehow. It reminded her of her brother Grimjaw somehow, one of his better days.

" Krayken. I'm here to save you, for you must live," Krayken's reply as short and terse. Before she knew it, he immediately picked her up, hoisted her on his shoulders, and started running towards the side of the massive stone wall that surrounded the castle, exiting the castle walls through a side entrance.

" Wait…" Meillienne exclaimed, before raising her voice as she saw that the assassin was not slowing down. " Wait! My friend is still in there! You need to help her! You need to help her!"

All of a sudden, arrows suddenly whizzed all around them as Krayken's attack had probably created some ruckus. Arrows started to pepper all around him, but he kept running. One struck him on his shoulder blades, but he didn't stop. Meillienne realized that her weight must be slowing him down considerably, since he seemed rather sluggish in his movement. There were several meters away from the wall now. Meillienne wasn't sure how they were going to escape, unless Krayken had the ability to scale, or crush down walls.

Krayken reached the edge of the wall as several people started to pour out of the castle walls. The arrows have stopped flying in their direction. Meillienne figured that this was probably to avoid hitting her on accident, due to her function for some purpose she has yet to know. Kryaken pulled out the arrows lodged in his shoulder blades, not even flinching, as if he was somehow brushing off dust on his attire. He dug into his pocket and drew out a Butterfly Wing.

" If I could, girl, I would," he replied, before crushing the item in his hand, enveloping them in a pillar of bright white light before disappearing from the compound completely.

-

Azaroth stood at a vantage point. Where he stood, he could see most of the layout of the castle before him. It stood several storeys tall, with several of its spires broken and collapsed. Azaroth looked around carefully. The main center of the castle seemed to be lit up, but most of it was still fairly dark. Azaroth thought he had seen some activity earlier with all the people moving around inside, but he could be mistaken. After all, being situated so far away and standing in the blistering cold may make things looks out of the ordinary.

" What do you see?" Teranis asked, standing a few feet below the peak where Azaroth stood as he glance over the area.

" Nothing much. I can see people from here, but not close enough to count them. It's a castle, surrounded by a wall, nothing more," Azaroth replied.

" Geez, you forgot to mention it's in disrepair, a few broken spires, only lighted are seems the be the middle of the castle itself, probably situated at the great hall,…and what are those guys doing? There seems to be an increase amount of activity there," Teranis replied, joining him as she peered at the castle.

" Perfectionist," Azaroth muttered.

Teranis gave him a scowl. " Whatever, I'll be leaving back to the group now. You two boys better come back on time," Teranis replied.

Grimjaw watched as Teranis slogged along the snowy ground. The area they were in seemed to be snowing even heavier, and the snow was packed in a thick layer all over the place, making travelling slow. Grimjaw looked at Azaroth from afar as the cold winds started to blow again once more.

" You wish to say something?" Azaroth asked.

" You read my mind," Grimjaw replied.

" Two years sticking with you…you'd expect that some of your skills would brush off to me, no?" Azaroth replied, chuckling.

" You're not mad?"

" Mad? At what? That foolish pursuit you did in Morroc? Of course, I'm mad. What gave you the idea that I'm not," Azaroth replied scowling. " What's done is done, nothing to it. Meillienne's life may be in further danger, but we will deal with that later. I'm more forgiving than I might seem, but I do advice you not to do that from now on."

Grimjaw wasn't sure what to say. Here he was talking to him casually as if he was making peace from a fight when it was not too long ago when he started it.

" Besides, I hate to stain our good relationship anyway. You did me a favour before. I guess I can forgive you for one stupid flaw," Azaroth replied, stepping away from the edge of the mountain. Passing Grimjaw, he patted him on the shoulder before walking off. " Come on, Melanie will decide what to do next when we get together. We should not let her wait."

" Azaroth!" Grimjaw exclaimed loudly as his friend walked off, pausing as his name was called.

" Hmm?"

" I'm sorry," Grimjaw replied.

Azaroth contemplated for a while. " It's not me whom you should be really apologizing towards. It's three people who are servants to the church whom you should apologise to, since to them, your apology for this matter to me seems trivial," Azaroth replied.

" Three?" Grimjaw mused. He wasn't sure what Azaroth meant, but by 'servants of the church', Grimjaw figured he meant Selene and Meillienne, but he could not imagine who the third person was.

" We aren't here to just rescue your sister, isn't that right?" Azaroth reminded him.


	17. Chapter 16: The Assault Begins

**Chapter 16: The Assault Begins**

A huntress was suddenly thrown backwards, hitting the floor in a crash as her body landed painfully on the ground with a loud thud, her quiver scattering arrows by her side as she was thrown backwards. Her master as furious, and he had every reason to be so. Meillienne was merely escorted off the premises under their very nose. The huntress picked herself up, but not daring to stand up just in case Kain lashed out at her again.

" What do you mean you don't have her?! Someone merely strolled into our compound and stole her from right under our noses?! Do you know the consequences of these actions?! Do you?!" Kain roared. His voice echoed all around the hall, rumbling slightly as the bounded all over the place.

" Master Kain, I have no excuse, but…she was taken…that's a fact…" the huntress replied, bowing down.

" Then search for her!" Kain roared once more, sounding livid and beside himself.

" If I may put some input…"

Kain spun around to see Treiken addressing him. He was calm and collected, even though he knew of the consequences of loosing Meillienne at this time. Yet, the wizard looked as though this wasn't a real problem, but a mere setback.

" I highly doubt that they will be around the area. We have so little time left, and once the seal is activated, the spell must be done, or dire consequences will follow. There is no time to scour the snowy plains for the acolyte now. It's our bad luck that she is gone. However, we must salvage whatever we can from the damage that had been dealt. The 'other' acolyte will have to do for now, despite being inferior," Treiken spoke calmly.

Kain was about to speak when all of a sudden a swordsman ran into the room at top speed, throwing open the doors of the great hall. " Master, there is a commander from the Pronteran army who wishes to speak to you. She's waiting at the gates on the outside!" he yelled as he came in.

Kain frowned as he hard the news, although it puzzled him at the notion. _Speak with him, for what, the release of the other acolyte?_ Kain thought. However, a thought did come to Kain's mind. It was highly unlikely that the army knew what exactly they were doing, so it could not be a coincidence that the infiltrator knew which acolyte to rescue first, according to priority. This might mean it wasn't the army who rescued Meillienne, but some one else. The question was: who?

" Treiken, start the ceremony immediately. I'll deal with this upstart platoon the army sent," Kain replied, taking the massive two-handed sword on the side of the throne chair and stormed out of the room. Treiken merely watched him passively, not saying a word.

-

Melanie looked up with determination at the tall walls that surrounded the castle. They weren't as massively huge or enormous like the ones surrounding Prontera, but nevertheless, anything taller than her was troublesome in its own right. She could see several archers and hunters lines up along the wall, looking down at her. They didn't draw their arrows, so Melanie figured that there was no need for her to draw her shield.

After what seemed like a few minutes, a knightly figure appeared on top of the walls of the castle gates. Looking up, Melanie could only guess that this was Kain, the leader of the Deathguise guild. He stared back at her with contempt and a sneer in his face.

" Kain Resselcrowe," Melanie called out, projecting her voice as far as it go.

" And who may you be?" Kain asked scathingly.

" I'm Melanie Stryfort, Squadron Commander of the 3rd Squadron of the 3rd Division. You should know why I am here. You have two of our acolytes, and we want them back. I'm sure you can get other girls to satisfy your pleasures, dirty old man, not a couple of young girls," Melanie shouted.

Kain smiled. This commander seemed unaware of things. Treiken had about half an hour left to finish the spell. If he could delay this female crusader long enough, then they might be able to finish everything up and leave without any problems.

" My, I assure you I don't have such tastes. Mine are far more refined," Kain replied nonchalantly.

Melanie knew Kain was buying for time. She couldn't suppress a grin. She had him where he wanted.

-

The castle's exterior walls stood 30 feet tall from the bottom. This was based on a very old design they used to use in the olden ages. With the help of a ladder, it would technically be quite easy to scale the wall and penetrate the defenses. The first thing that had to be taken care off was the people who guarded the wall. Next was the ladder itself.

Melanie was not only serving to delay Kain, but to cause a diversion as well. As of now, the back portion of the castle, being the furthest in terms of distance between the castle grounds and the wall itself, was only being kept watch by a number of sentries only, since a number of them had moved off towards the front to see what was happening. Human curiosity was always a good thing to manipulate.

A lone arrow flew through the air, sticking through the neck of one of the hunters who was on guard, and he started gargling in his own blood. The members of the Deathguise guild were not expecting a siege at any rate, since they received a report that the army only had about 15 people scouting around for them.

" We are under attack!" one of them exclaimed.

" Now, we don't have much time!" Azaroth exclaimed.

Semilia fired her arrows over and over again at the sentries on the wall to keep them busy, riding on Patch as she ran up and down along the wall. It was a sort of awkward kind of mount, but they worked well. Patch was massive enough to be ridden as a mount, and he was as fast as any of the best Peco Pecos the knights usually ride. Semilia was straddled onto his back, her legs tucked to his sides as she held on to him as he ran around the area. Some of the archers and wizards fired back, but were too far to deal anything significant to her.

Slightly distracted, they didn't notice the movement of people along the south side of the wall. One of the sentries barely noticed in time at the odd sight of an Isis slithering along, followed by a swordsman armed with two swords running at top speed, followed by a priestess, a knight, and a rogue. The wizard thought that they were going to attack the fort somehow, but all of them ran up towards the wall.

Iris went first, crouching low as she stayed next to the wall. Running a little to give her a little momentum, Camelia ran up, climbing up Iris's shoulders. Azaroth and Grimjaw leaped up at once, both of them landing on Camelia's shoulders, Azaroth before Grimjaw. The wizard suddenly realized that these people were about to build a human bridge.

The priestess was the last one. She ran a short distance, before jumping up and quickly climbing up the ladder made up of her own comrades. Grimjaw grabbed her with her free hands and quickly pulled her up. When she was on the top, Iris rose as high as she could go, pushing all of them a couple of feet higher.

" Shit! Firebolt!" Camelia yelled.

The wizard fired off several firebolts at them, aimed at Iris. Iris hissed loudly in pain as she was pummeled several times by the spell, knocking her off slightly. At the spur of the moment, Grimjaw held Selene by her legs and threw her up as she jumped. Her hands barely caught the edge of the wall as the rest of them crumbled down to the ground, landing on one another. The wizard prepared another spell, but Selene was way much faster than he was, and he was flying off the wall, landing on the solid ground 30 feet below.

The other sentries turned to her, wondering what was this priestess going to do alone against the whole lot of them. They had 10 people guarding the back, and probably with this attack, more will come. However, the priestess merely stood there, looking at all of them. The lack of reaction was a bit unnerving. Here was a priestess, having dangerously scaled the wall using her friends, and the best thing she could do was to look at all of them without any emotion.

" Wait, stop here! She's trying to remember and set a warp point!" a priest among the group shouted, knowing the things other priests or priestesses would do, but Selene merely clapped her hands, and a warp portal appeared right in front of her.

" Too late, jackass…why didn't you tell us sooner?!" a knight exclaimed as Azaroth stepped out of the portal, brandishing his swords in his hands.

-

" I've kept your acolytes for so long now. What gives you the idea that we might have inkling of giving them back to you?" Kain asked.

Melanie had been speaking to him for a while now. He came off as a haughty, arrogant punk who didn't know his place. Melanie disliked the tone of the voice he used, but then again, she disliked everything about the man since he was a sort of criminal anyway, so that point was rather moot.

" I've declared my ultimatum, Kain. Return the acolytes to us now, or we will siege the castle this very instant. I would, of course, like to warn you that this castle is old and nothing more than a lousy piece of rubble. I doubt you and your men will survive a siege. I have yet to hear your answer, besides your poor sniveling attempts," Melanie replied.

Kain studied the crusader for a bit. It was now highly likely that they did not rescue Meillienne, but someone else did. However this other party was unimaginable. He would have thought of Grimjaw, the acolyte's brother, but then, wasn't he allied with the army for now? Suddenly, the thought of Grimjaw somehow reminded him of something.

" You are buying for time, aren't you?" Kain said, looking down at Melanie.

Melanie had no idea how he came to that notion, and Kain didn't really need anything to confirm that. The winds that howled in the distance could not hide the sound of crashing steel, spells being cast, and the cries of pain that rang around the entire area, especially coming from the back of the castle. Kain spun around and shot a glare at Melanie. _So, she was just here to buy some time?_ Kain thought darkly, raising his hand. The archers and hunters raised their bows, and the wizards that stood within their ranks started to prepare some magic. The criminal guild was ready to strike back.

Taking a deep breath, Melanie yelled a single word loudly at the top of her voice.

" FIRE!"

It all happened at once. Streaks of lightning and fire started to pummel along the castle walls, forcing the hunters and wizards to back up slightly. Something whizzed in the air, like some odd projectile being thrown in the shape of a bottle. As soon as it hit the castle walls, the bottle blew up in a humongous explosion, sending flame and burning bodies everywhere. Kain looked around passively. Some wizards and sages were probably giving her cover fire, while some alchemist concocted some very well made explosives for her.

" Defend the gate with your lives! You know the consequences!" Kain yelled.

He turned back through the sudden confusion to see where the crusader had gone to. She had left the original spot she was standing on, but instead of backing off, she was now running towards the front gate. Kain had no idea what she was doing, until he spotted a several bottles that looked vaguely familiar like the explosive bottle that was thrown at the walls of his castle.

Some of his men spotted them as well, and concentrated their fire upon Melanie. She raised her shield as she was suddenly peppered with a hail of arrows and spells, all smashing into her shield, some grazing her full-plate armour, some of the stronger lightning and fire spells breaking chips off her elunium armour. Some distance away, hidden towards the rocky mountain slopes that surrounded the castle, her companions were firing spell after spell behind her to provide some cover.

Melanie made it towards the bottom of the massive gate. She ignored the burning pain and all the arrows that were sticking out of her shield and armour plate, or the fact that her shield was now glowing red after taking so many fire and lightning spells until her hands felt that they were burning. She had a simple task to perform before anything else. She dropped the bottles at the bottom of the gate, lighted them with the simple fuse Teranis gave her, and ran some distance away.

The combining force of the explosive power of the bottles sent up a huge fireball of flame and fire, tearing the gate into pieces, throwing chunks of stone and people everywhere. Member's of the guild that were thrown in the air, half of them burning in flames, screamed in terror and pain, before the ground silenced their cries. Kain managed to stumble to the side to avoid the blast, almost falling off the now broken front entrance. The explosion left a gapping hole in front, ready for them to enter. Half of his men were down, since they had mainly concentrated themselves at the top of the gate. The other half were trying to collect themselves after the blast.

" I gave you my ultimatum. Now, you will pay the price," Melanie replied, drawing out her sword, at the same time as the rest of her troop came up right behind her. Soreen came up to her and applied some basic healing spells, but Melanie shrugged her off after a while, saying it was unnecessary. " Alright, men! Siege the castle!"

-

The narrow pathway along the castle walls proved useful to Azaroth. The hunters and wizards proved no match for his skill and mettle, as he charged forward, mowing them down effortlessly. The hunters were just too close to fire properly, and even if they did, Azaroth merely whipped his sword around, striking their arrows useless before kicking them off the wall when he was close enough. Wizards were slightly tricky, but since they were not using more devastating spells in order to not hit their comrades, Azaroth could easily bypass all their basic spells and cut them down easily.

They had managed to breach the back wall easily. Selene had managed to warp everyone inside, and although she found out that there was some seal set on the area to prevent her from opening warp portals any further inside, this was not relevant. Azaroth took charge of the assault on the back, while Melanie struck in the front. The sound of an explosion at the distance, and a mushroom of fire that erupt somewhere to their right signaled that Melanie had gotten their signal and had struck as well. With any luck, they would be able to take them down by surprise and lower the numbers sufficiently so that they could deal with them easily.

Azaroth looked behind him. Most of his companions had managed to cut down all the resistance, and were regrouping as he made his way down to the castle grounds. He had the rogue and priestess with him, along with Melanie's army friend, plus Semilia and all her animal companions, and Maycron. Peineya and Obelisk came along, which was surprising, since the warp portal didn't rip them to shreds like he thought it would. Perhaps it wasn't a Holy Property spell after all.

" We managed to get this far. So far so good. We managed to catch them by surprise," Selene panted as she went up to Azaroth.

" …Are you alright?" Azaroth asked, sounding concerned.

" I'll be fine," Selene replied. Exerting her body too much after recovering for such a short period of time was taking it's toll, but Selene would have it no other way, especially when it came to rescuing her acolytes. Azaroth decided not to worry about it too much.

" Most of their forces will be concentrated in the front, so we don't have to worry too much about them mobbing us, although it's highly likely that reinforcements will come, so we have to keep our guard up. Camelia, Grimjaw, Selene, Maycron you all take that south side entrance to the castle. Iris, you'll follow me. Semilia, take your pet companions with you, and go to that entrance. We'll all head inside. Aim for the main hall, that's where Meillienne is most likely situated," Azaroth replied.

" Shouldn't we stick together, Azaroth?" Camelia asked. " Surely, we might need Selene's…"

" Selene can't function too well as a healer, and since their forces are scattered all over the place, we can deal with them in smaller teams. Moving in such a large group will slow us down, not to mention make us more noticeable," Azaroth replied.

" But…"

" This is bad, very bad!" Obelisk yelled all of a sudden.

" What is it this time Obelisk?" Semilia asked calmly, not a stranger to Obelisk's oddities.

" You know I said I could feel that odd feeling back then when Peineya and I left to see when you all were in the town looking for all the bad guys?" Obelisk replied. " We feel it again, in the middle of the castle, but stronger this time."

" What?!" Azaroth exclaimed.

" He's not lying."

It was Semilia who spoke this time. Patch growled as he looked at his master. She spoke again when Azaroth turned around to look at her. " There is no mistake in his words. It's almost faint, but I can sense some sort of strange feeling in the air, like some dark, innate magic that is circling all around us. Peineya and Obelisk are undead creatures, they should be able to sense it better than I can," she responded.

" Azaorth, what does this mean?" Grimjaw asked, sounding alarmed.

Azaroth had ideas of his own, but he felt that he'd rather not share them.


	18. Chapter 17: Replacement Acolyte

**Chapter 17: Replacement Acolyte**

Caris suddenly looked up when the door of her jail cell opened once more, and several people entered. She was still a bit too dazed to see who it was, but all she knew was she was suddenly grabbed roughly and pulled out of jail cell. She wasn't too sure what was going on, or where they were taking her. She suddenly thought about Meillienne, and what they might have done to her.

" What do you want with me?! Where is Meillienne?!" Caris demanded.

She was answered with a painful blow to the back of her head.

--

Melanie raised her shield to take two on-coming arrow shots, adding several more bolts that had been lodged into her shield by now. Giving a roar, she charged forward like some enraged bull, bashing though the first archer she met, throwing him painfully on the ground before stepping on him painfully in the gut, her metal greaves making a striking impact as he coughed out blood. A sword came in while she was occupied, whistling by as it struck her by her helm, smashing it off her head as she reeled backward, her forehead bleeding for the cut.

" Commander!" Soreen exclaimed in alarm as she saw a swordsman strike her commander while she was occupied.

" I'm fine!" Melanie exclaimed throughout the din. There was a mass of combatants gathered all around the now broken front gates, the large door that once was the entrance now in ruins, smoking slightly. Using the confusion to their advantage, Melanie ordered the whole lot of them to strike, and now all of them were mingled all around the place, steel clashing against steel as arrows and magic spells flew all over the place.

Melanie felt someone tap her shoulder slightly, before throwing herself forward. Vermillion shot past her, punching the swordsman's strike with her fists. She quickly countered it by swinging her other arm in a wide arc, striking the swords aside before launching a punch towards his face, throwing him a good 10 feet behind.

" What's this, commander?! Down already?!" Vermillion replied with mocking laughter.

Melanie knew better than to reply even if Vermillion was grating her nerves. She looked around. The members of the guild were swarming in from all directions, but their group managed to hold their ground and push all of them back. Their numbers started to thin down, the assault going better than expected, especially with Tryzen and Sapphire's spell casting to support them.

Tryzen fired bolt after bolt of lightning shots at the remaining interlopers on the castle wall who still stubbornly rain down their spells and arrows upon him. Arcs of powerful magic circled around him as his hands went in a flurry, throwing spells here and there. He managed to blast three arrows shots out of the air and still find the time to blast the weaker foundations of the now partially broken exterior wall, allowing one of the hunters to drop to the ground.

" Resistance is futile!" Vermillion howled loudly as she jumped at once of the hunters. He fired multiple arrows at her, but she smashed them all aside, taking a couple on her shoulder when she could not deflect them in time. Before he could pull another proper shot, Vermillion's hand came right up at him, smashing into his face.

However, the arrow was let loose, cutting Vermillion viciously on the cheek, before flying behind her in a wild arc, striking Soreen in her chest. The acolytes gave a cry of surprise and pain as the arrow hit her chest. Some of the mages saw an opportune moment, and started to fire their spells at the wounded acolyte, trying to take out the supporting unit of Melanie's group. Several ice bolts hit her simultaneously at once. Flick whipped around when he saw the attack. Unless the acolyte managed to defend herself using a protective spell, it was unlikely that she would survive.

" Shit!" Flick curse, kicking away the knight he was up against and ran back to Soreen. However, Soreen was about as much surprised as he was. Besides the arrow wound to her chest, she was unharmed, but Flick realised why when he saw the odd glowing aura around her.

" Protect Soreen!" Melanie exclaimed. Her entire armour was now covered in frost, including half her face. Melanie managed to execute a Sacrifice spell just in time to save Soreen, although not without its drawbacks.

Crusaders were soldiers of the church who, after years of training and spiritual work, have learned how to allow their body to withstand enough damage that might kill a person two or three times over. Thus, the Sacrifice spell, where one controls a small space warp spell to take in whatever damage in place for another ally, was only suited for crusaders, although they cannot use it too much. Melanie would still have to take the full extent of the attack, and after taking the lead, she wasn't in the best of shapes.

Flick managed to step in front of the line of fire for Soreen. Without anything to use to successfully block the attack, he raised his two-handed sword and allowed the ice bolts to pummel it. The temperature around him started to drop as his sword started to get coated in a large layer of ice. Behind him, Soreen had fallen to the ground, clutching her wounded area, the arrow still protruding from her chest.

The wizards attempted to fire more spells at Flick, but all of a sudden, Vermillion shot out of nowhere, howling at him. The wizard turned around and fired a ice spell right at her, but Vermillion merely punched it, her whole arm frosting over, but it didn't stop her one bit. The ice hand smashed into his defense, cracking a few ribs as Vermillion took it out on the poor wizard.

Sapphire rushed up towards the injured acolyte. The arrow had struck the right side of her chest, and her attire was starting to soak up all the blood that was seeping out from her wound, coughing out blood once in a while. Her eyes were rather unfocused as she was loosing quite an amount of blood. Vermillion finished off most of the other people left, allowing them to have some breathing space for the moment.

" She's been seriously wounded. She can't continue," Sapphire replied.

" It can't be helped. Flick, go with Teranis and take Soreen out and take care of them…"

" But I can still…"

" Follow my orders, Flick. Just do it," Melanie lashed out. Flick kept quiet at once, and a while later, he helped Teranis treat the acolytes wounds. " Teranis, I need some of your potions. Can you leave them for us?"

Teranis opened her bag and laid most of her potions she had concocted just before the fight. " This will have to suffice. Everyone, take about two potions each, and use them when necessary. We will have to hope that Azaroth's side made some progress and will have to take off the slack on our side. Sapphire, you are with me. Tryzen and Vermillion will go together. This way, we'll have a spellcaster and a support in each pair."

" You don't seem fine enough to go. You did take quite a beating," Flick replied.

It all took them by surprise when Melanie suddenly channeled a powerful surge of Holy energy throughout her body, so intense and powerful it even made the hair on Flick's neck stand. With a sudden burst of energy, she shattered all the ice that stubbornly clung onto her armour, the remaining pieces falling to the ground. Melanie looked at them with steely eyes, panting loudly from exerting so much power just to break free.

" I'm fine. As the commander, I cannot falter," Melanie said, before turning her back. " Flick, I'll count on you to protect the ladies. The rest of you, move out!"

With that, Melanie took off, with Sapphire following her from behind. Vermillion gave an exclamation of exuberance, and took off to the left side with Tryzen following close behind. Flick was a little too preoccupied when Teranis asked him to help move Soreen. He was busy looking at the back of his commander.

The instant she blasted herself with the spell onto herself, Flick caught the look on her eyes. It was the sort of look he would never imagine her to have: so dark, distant and cold. Melanie was stubborn, he knew that well. It was just this side of stubbornness that he had never seen before.

" Are you going to help me or not, daydreamer?! Teranis yelled as she picked up Soreen's limp body.

-

Azaroth and Iris entered the compound, looking around. There were shouts going about everywhere still, more of the guild members moving about. So far, they had not faced any resistance, which was a good thing and a bad thing as well. On the plus side, it meant they were having a much easier time breaching the place. The downside would be that it would mean that they will have to deal with more enemies eventually later on.

" Were are we going?" Iris asked.

" In," Azaroth replied.

Since the castle was now so old, some part of the walls had crumbled down by the side, some parts we even made into makeshift doors. Azaroth and Iris crashed through one of the fallen walls, jumping over broken stone and concrete. They entered a large expense of corridors, snaking all around in a large area, some torches to light the way. Azaroth looked around, wondering how he would be able to get to the main hall, when two knights and an assassin popped around at the corner of one of the corridors, with a strange look of surprise on their face when they spotted them.

Azaroth didn't waste another second as he drew his hands back, while the assassin leaped at him while the slow knights charged from behind. Without warning, he suddenly swung his sword in mid-air, a ripple of wind shooting out from the end of his blades towards his enemies. The assassin merely saw the vague outline of the attack, not too sure whether his eyes were fooling him or not, when it hit him squarely in the chest, ripping out two wounds as the flying slashes cut his chest open. The knights seem to pause at the attack.

" I've never seen such a skill before. Is it a knight skill?" Iris mused.

" Not really…" Azaroth replied, before realizing he had just a few shots of his Last Strike left, feeling his muscles straining from using such a technique. It was roughly equivalent to using a Bash skill, but then again, this was the first time he had used it so many times within such a short period of time. Azaroth was never in active combat before this, and this was the first time he was in the thick of things. His skills with the sword may be parallel to most of the high ranking knights, but his stamina sure wasn't. He figured he needed to conserve his energy a little more.

Both knights leaped forward at once to continue the attack, and Iris and Azaroth swooped in to engage both of them, taking an opponent each, Azaroth engaging the female knight armed with a spear, while Iris took the male who was swinging his two-handed sword wildly in front of her face.

The knight gave a quick jab of her spear before drawing it back quickly to her side to guard herself in case Azaroth decided to strike her flank. Azaroth parried the blow, the blade of the sword deflecting the edge of the spear as he parried with her. Azaroth swung his foot around, before halting his movement to the left and swiftly shot towards the knight's right. The knight replied by turning around sharply, her spear greeting him once more, firing short, quick jabs in rapid succession. Azaroth had to back off, deflecting the spear as he moved.

The knight had the advantage in range, and Azaroth's one handed swords were of no use, even if he was wielding two of them. With the range, Azaroth cannot close in without seriously risking the spear from dealing a sever blow. Also, his shorter swords were not adapt at deflecting the spear at such an angle to provide adequate movement for him to maneuver around the knight, since there was a considerable difference in weight. Azaroth's swords were too light, and the knight's strength was equally matched with his, so there was no going by that method. Using his Last Strike here was risky at best, since he needed some room, and some time, to execute it. The knight had seen him do it, and Azaroth knew by the look on the face she was giving him, she would not give him both.

Iris hissed loudly, baring her forked tongue and fangs as she slammed the palm of her hand onto the wall, next to where the knight was standing a second ago, forming cracks along the weak structure. The knight leaped out of the way, trying to circle around to her back, but Iris didn't lack in the mobility department, spinning around before the knight she was facing could even get an even footing to start moving, her movements fluid despite her size.

The knight took a step forward, throwing an overhead swing at Iris. The Isis merely slammed the sword aside from hitting her face with relative ease. Despite their feminine appearance, Isis's were quite insanely strong, despite not seeming to have the build to back them up. She could pick up a normal human with one hand as if he was made of paper. Knocking the sword aside with her bare hands was nothing.

The knight struck again, swing his sword to his right. Catching them throwing a few blows at each other, Azaroth figured that the knight had not mastered any advance two-handed skills, since his blows seem sloppy and poorly coordinated, which Iris could deal with easily. Iris swung her arm around, knocking the sword back, but the knight managed to recover from the blow, and using his legs as a counter-balance, return the swing at a lower arc as he pushed more strength into the blow. The sword slammed into Iris's side, but she caught the blade as it hit the underside of her armpit, and knocked the knight away. She merely suffered an insignificant cut to her side, her tensed up muscles and thin yet very durable scales absorbing most of the blow.

Azaroth returned his attention back to his attacker just in time to catch her stabbing her spear with all her might at him, aiming right for his head. He threw both swords up in the shape of a cross to meet the attack, the spear glancing against the sides of his sword, sparks flying right at his face as metal grinded against metal. Azaroth stumbled a few steps backwards, measuring his opponent. He needed a swift move to deal with her, since he was uncomfortable staying here for so long, but the knight was adamant on keeping him here.

Wanting to break the stalemate quickly, Azaroth took a risk, and leaped at her. The knught saw his movements, and thrust her spear with all her might at him, his rather linear dash at her almost impossible to avoid. Azaroth suddenly reversed the grip on his Tsurugi and lowered it near his chest level to block the strike. Although he was successful, a mere block using a one-handed sword cannot stop the piercing force of a lance, and the side of the lance tore at his leather armour, ripping out shreds from it, blood spilling slightly from the strike.

However, as she struck him, Azaroth flung his Haedonggum right towards her face. It was the spur of the moment attack, and he didn't have the throwing precision of Grimjaw, not to mention he was throwing a sword and not a small and much more suitable dagger, and the weapon's hilt clumsily smashed on the knight's shoulder and face. However, the distraction was played, as slightly disorientated with having a sword thrown at her face, Azaroth pushing his other hand free and swung Tsurugi in a wide arc, threatening to lob off the knight's head. His enemy backed off, but not before his sword cutting the edge of her neck. The strike was fairly shallow, but it did enough damage as the knight dropped to her knees, clutching her bleeding neck.

A sudden hoarse yell told Azaroth Iris was fairing well with her opponent. Iris managed to catch the knight and lifted him up with her own two hands, having disarmed him, his two-handed sword too far away on the solid, stone floor to make a difference for him. Hissing savagely, she yanked off the helm that he wore, and holding him by the back of his head, slammed his forehead on the ground. Azaroth only needed the resounding echo of bone cracking to tell him that she had managed to crack his skull. The knight stayed on the floor, obviously dead.

" Are you alright?" Iris asked.

Azaroth glanced down on his wound, as if only noticing it. The sound of concern was a little odd, especially coming from her. Here stood a savage, but sentient, Isis that just cracked a man's skull with hardly any effort and following it up by asking how was he faring.

" Never been better in my life. Let's continue," Azaroth said, picking one of the corridors and tearing down the hallway, most of the bleeding coming from his wound seemed to have stopped. Iris slithered after him, keeping up with the pace he was setting.

--

When Caris Fang came to, the first thing she noticed was a very tall ceiling with some orange light glowing at her sides. Looking around, she noticed that she had been placed in the middle of a very large area, in a building which she was unfamiliar with. It was no longer her held up cell in the dungeon, but somehow, she felt that she had not been shifted far this time.

Much to her surprise, she noticed several people surrounding her, forming some sort of crude circle formation all around her, all of them holding a torch in their hands each, while holding a talisman in their hands, hanging from their fingers from a beaded chain. As she tried to get up, someone suddenly slammed his foot on her neck, making her choke and gag.

" Stay down," a familiar voice told her. She knew it came from Treiken, the wizard who was responsible for her capture. Caris struggled slightly, but she was weak from the lack of sleep, and not to mention after being beaten up recently, and all she could manage was to just grab the boots on his feet and grip tightly.

Some distance away, the sound of a door opened, and someone seemed to storm in at an agitated pace. Treiken turned around to face the person.

" Is the replacement ready?" a voice asked.

" We are starting the spell as we speak, Kain," Treiken answered.

" Good, finish it. They have managed to blast down the front gates with some damned explosives, and another group has somehow managed to enter through the back. Get this done before they come here," the man named Kain replied, before storming off.

" Weren't you are the front gate earlier?" Treiken suddenly asked.

" I left, obviously..." Kain echoed back.

Caris had no idea what they were talking about, but she could guess a few things: they were using her as a medium for some sort of unknown spell, but their original target was using Meillienne, but she seemed unavailable as of now, and Caris could only think that she had managed to escape somehow. The explosion she heard earlier was no fluke, and it seems that there were people coming to rescue her.

Despite her situation, she still managed to smile.

--

The swordsman gave a terrified scream when Patch leaped upon him, the massive body of the abnormal wolf proving more than a match for the swordsman's small frame. The terror was short lived as Patch dropped his head down, opened his gapping jaws and chomped down hard on the swordsman's neck, his severed arteries and veins spurting out blood everywhere. His legs lashed out kicking in all directions, before falling silent as Patch calmly walked away from the now dead body.

Semilia lay crouched behind one of the corners of the walls, looking out to see whether there was anyone beyond the corridor. Three swordsmen lay dead in her path, to with arrows stuck from their chest. The corridor was empty, but from the shouts and yells, it was probably not for long.

Something landed with a sort thud right next to her. Spinning around in alarm, an assassin suddenly landed right in front of her, probably hiding somewhere along the ceilings. He shot at her at the same time she attempted to raise her bow, but before either anyone could do anything, a figure popped up behind her and slammed the assassin hard on his head, sending him crashing to the ground.

" Backstabbing, foul, unmoralled, piece of Peco Peco dung mixed with Orc shit!" Obelisk exclaimed.

The assassin spun around and got to his feet, but not before Peineya stepped up right next to him and slammed his jaw with the palm of her hand as he stood up. Despite being undead, Munaks and Bonguns still retained some of their old martial arts which they use for combat, though stiff and traditional, still served their purpose, especially when they get to mob people. Before the assasin could recover in time, Crystal floated behind him and hacked at his back, her hair all flying around like some enraged monster, her eyes flaring red as blood splattered on her pale face.

" Thanks, that was quite close," Semilia replied, smiling slightly.

" Meh, count on me to watch your back, Pippy. You can count on it," Obelisk replied.

" Don't I always?" Semilia asked, before after making sure there was no one else along the corridor, before moving along.

" Do you think we can achieve whatever you are trying to do, even with the help of the humans?" Obelisk asked.

Semilia kept her running pace even, even if Obelisk was speaking to her. " I'll...have to," Semilia replied. " Perhaps I stubbornly cling on to my old traditions, but then again, traditions and memories are all that I have left. The legacy of the elves in this world has ended. I'm here just to finish things, nothing more. That's my duty I do for my mother."

She skidded to a halt behind another corner, looking from cover. " However, I appreciate your company in doing this," Semilia replied. Patch growled slightly and looked at her. Smiling slightly, she patted him on the head and said " I know that, old friend."

" Couldn't you just ask the humans for help?" Obelisk questioned.

" I don't...want to..." Semilia replied, sounding slightly more stern now.

" Even that Azaroth guy?"

" ...Him especially..."

" But he wasn't..."

Semilia raised her hand at him, and Obelisk knew when it was appropriate to stop talking. Sighing, she moved out from the corner, before suddenly stopping in her tracks, as if she was suddenly hit by a powerful freezing spell that froze her solid.

" Semilia?" Crystal asked, wondering what was wrong. Peineya merely looked at her passively, while Patch looked around, sensing his master sensing something amiss.

She was not mistaken. She had felt some looming presence, which despite his or her efforts to keep silent and unnoticed, was felt strongly by Semilia. She pulled the strings of her bow, looking in all directions as the rest of her companions looked at her, not sure what was going one. The presence was gone now, but Semilia knew what she felt, and she knew it was here, like touching something solid to confirm that it was there.

Another elf was in the premises. Why he or she was here, she could not answer.

-

Tryzen looked around the dungeon cells one by one, peering into the insides. There was barely enough light around, but it was more than enough to allow him to see that the dungeon cells were empty. The acolytes were not held here, or at least not now.

A sudden abrupt noise disturbed him, and turning around, he spotted Vermillion sliding down the stairs , using a knight she managed to catch as a makeshift slide, allowing him to take the impact of every stairs. She jumped up after a while, not before purposely stepping on the man's face.

" We've got company. Finished looking?" Vermillion asked.

" The cells are empty. No more reason for us to stay here," Tryzen replied.

Vermillion took that as a signal to go, and she ran up the flight of stairs. A swordsman blocked her way, but she merely leaped at him, like a wolf would do to it's prey, with jaws wide open, except with a slightly maniacal look on her face. She rained down punches on him like there was no tomorrow, and was left as a bloody pulp in the middle of the ground outside the exit of the dungeon.

Just as Tryzen exited the dungeon, another attacker came towards them. Vermillion merely threw a powerful pouch at the swordsman, before sweeping his legs to kick him off his feet, then threw him backwards. Tryzen snapped his fingers and fired a bolt of lightning at the flying body, sending it aside.

" These guys are relentless!" Vermillion exclaimed.

" Same can be said to you, actually. It even looks like you are having fun," Tryzen commented.

" As they away say, take pride and passion into whatever you do!" Vermillion laughed maniacally. Tryzen sighed, knowing that there was no stopping her now.

A whole barrage of enemies appeared around the corner, numbering about 8 of them. Vermillion turned to face the mob, grinning mischeviously as she saw all of them. " Well, what do you know, more insects. I'm going to crush them like the very bugs they are," Vermillion said, bracing herself.

However, before she could attack, Tryzn stepped forward and struck his hands on the ground. Two lines of ice suddenly traced themselves along his side, hitting the pillars at their sides. At once, the secondary foundations of the castle started to freeze over, encasing the closest two pillars in ice. Once done, Tryzen fired out lightning bolts from his hands, not bothering with the incantations but merely blasting out sheer power from his hands. The lightning bolts shattered the frozen pillars, and the whole ceiling started to collapse all around them, burying most of their enemies. The only ones remaining was an assassin and a wizard, who were either too quick, or too far back to be crushed by the rubble.

" No need for that. I've seen to that," Tryzen said, brushing off the sand and dirt off his attire arrogantly.

" Fine, I'll let you have those," Vermillion said. With that, she leaped at the assassin blocking her way, her fists flying out in all directions. The assassin dodged the initial attack and jumped back to gain some breathing space, while Vermilion closed in, relentless in her attack. Tryzen was about to support her to make this fight a quick one before he had to alter his Firebolt spell to counter an on-coming spell, flames bursting in the air. The remaining wizard distracted him, although he seemed rather intimidated by the sight of Tryzen. Tryzen didn't recognize this wizard, either being too young or too old before his age and time in the magic academy in Geffen, but he probably knew who Tryzen was, and by all means, he was looking at one of the fastest spellcasters of all time.

Tryzen ignored Vermillion for the moment and focused on the wizard, knowing that Vermillion's violence and rage, erratic as it may be, will still come out on tops, and decided to take care of the person who figured he could best Tryzen in a match of wits and magic. Tryzen raised his hands, firing out icebolts as the wizard fires several more Firebolts at him. Tryzen suddenly felt a change in the surrounding air, and before he knew it, several lighting bolts blasted down upon him. He managed to set up his energy coat to minimize the damage, while returning fire using lightning bolts of a lesser degree.

" I'll make this quick, punk," Tryzen replied, grinning as he snapped both his fingers. The wizard's eyes widened in terror as all of a sudden Tryzen activated his Soul Strike spell, a simple neutral attack using magic energy expended in the form of globes to strike upon the enemy. However, the terrifying thing was Tryzen activated two spells at once, so instead of the normal 5, 10 spheres swirled all around him, before shooting at the wizard at breakneck speed.

The attacks struck an ice wall as the wizard set it up in time. Tryzen flicked his fingers slightly, and the remaining spheres shot around to the back, posed to strike from behind. More ice walls came up, and the spheres struck the solid wall harmlessly. However, Tryzen was more than prepared. His hads went in a blur of seals, and as the final sphere struck, Tryzen snapped his fingers, pointing towards the wizard's feet as he was done with his spell. The wizard was unable to deactivate his ice walls before the spell went off.

Trapped within his own ice walls, Tryzen instantly set off a Firewall spell without difficulty within the vicinity he was standing within. The ice walls started to crack and produce steam as an intense wall of fire erupted from within, but that was nothing compared to what was going on inside the ice cell. The wizard was instantly immolated, catching fire instantly, the pain so fast and intense he didn't get the chance the scream in pain. He was charred back the instant the fire started, and dropped to the ground, leaving the blacken skeleton frame that Tryzen found no use to further burn off, even if he could.

Vermillion jolted her head backwards as a pair of knives came in her direction, one cutting her cheek slightly, having some burning sensation to it. It was obvious it was poison, non-lethal but used to cause pain. Vermillion ducked, before executing a backflip as the knives swung low, hitting the wall behind her. She sprung forward, kicking off vertically from the wall, and the assassin swooped aside to avoid the hit. Vermillion landed on her knees, but the pain she felt in her feet was inconsequential. She licked some of the blood off her cheeks, feeling the sting of the poison on her tongue.

" You indeed are mad," the assassin replied, his voice sounding raspy.

" Indeed I am! How I savour this! Between life and death only do I find comfort in feeling alive!" Vermillion howled. The assassin was perplex at this monk. She had done nothing else than to throw punches in random directions, and as fast as she could muster. The nicks and cuts, even if they were stinging with poison, did nothing to slow her down at all. Indeed, she seemed to enjoy being hurt slightly. She had not cast one healing spell yet. The carnage and violence he saw in her eyes was beyond imaginable for someone who called herself a member of the church.

" Do not let your guard down!" Vermillion exclaimed, coming up to attack him some more. Her punches came all around, her knuckle weapons flashing right before his face. In terms of speed, the assassin was much faster, being able to dodge her blows and land several hits, but the resilience this monk was showing was tremendous. But, her attacks were predictable, done at random but with a predictable random pattern.

The assassin dodge another punch as Vermillion threw a wild swing at him. At once, he raised his knife up, aiming for her gut. All of a sudden, she dropped her right hand, and grabbed the edge of his blade, blocking the attack. Coming up all of a sudden, she threw another punch at him. He avoided it, but as he reeled away, a bloodied fist came smashing to his right.

" You assumed I don't use any spells, didn't you? Well, you are dead wrong!" Vermillion said, before slamming her fists at him with incredible speed, the spell that increased her agility taking effect. The assassin blacked out from the hit, and never saw light again after that.


	19. Chapter 18: Caris Fang's Courage

**Chapter 18: Caris Fang's Courage**

Flick sat down, attempting to brush off whatever stubborn pieces of ice that was left on his metal gloves and sword, scarping them off manually with his fingers. His hand felt cold after receiving a blast of ice directly, and the cold weather in Lutie did not help. Sitting down on a frozen log near the edge of the pine forests in Lutie, he looked around at the castle they were attacking.

They were quite far from the castle, but Flick could still hear some noises at the distance, some cries, flashes of magic spells lighting up the dark night sky. He hoped that the rest of them were doing fine, and were beating this bastard guild group soundly. Flick assumed that they would. Melanie was more than a match for the regular combatant of any profession, and Azaroth was almost equal to her in strength. Vermillion was a storm, and Tryzen was famous for his speed in spellcasting after revising all his spell seals and incantations. Still, there was a large margin for error, and up against such large numbers, they were still at odds.

" How is she?" Flick asked.

Teranis laid her large overcoat over Soreen after wrapping her snugly with her own winter coat. Teranis had managed to administered her potions, and Soreen's condition had stabilized. After wrapping up her wounds with whatever crude bandages she could obtain, she wrapped Soreen neatly to keep her warm, using her own coat as an extra layer.

" She's fine," Teranis said, rubbing her hands together, feeling the chill now that her coat was missing. " She's sleeping now, and her condition has stabilized. If we are lucky, she will wake up in a while."

She heard Flick walk up behind her, and a while later, a coat dropped on her shoulders. Teranis looked to see that Flick had given her his own coat to protect her from the cold.

" Very chivalrous, but aren't you cold?" Teranis asked, smiling slightly.

" Nope, I'm too chivalrous to feel anything," Flick replied. Teranis giggled at the comment, before looking at the castle forlornly. " I hope the rest of them are doing fine."

" They shall," Flick replied, although he wasn't too sure with his words. It was the spur of the moment comment just to comfort her. He folded his arms and looked at the castle, not able too see much from here.

Teranis shrugged her shoulders and turned around when all of a sudden, there was a sound of a single footstep right behind her, followed by the sound of something flying in the air and metal grinding against metal, sparks lighting up the evening sky momentarily. She spun around, her hand on her belt, gripped on an acidic bottle, as she stared at an assassin pointing his katars at Flick, who had his two-handed sword drawn. There was a long, gash on his armour plate, indicating the spot where the assassin had struck.

" I knew we were being watched. Think you'd catch me off guard, did you?" Flick sneered as he walked around in circles.

" Well, a knight who's vaguely aware of his status, at least," the assassin growled.

" Bah, you insult my intelligence. Let me just chop you up and leave it at that, what do you say?" Flick replied.

The assassin didn't reply verbally, but jumped very quickly at Flick and lashed out with his katars, the blades swinging all around. Flick raised his sword in a flash, the katars harmlessly striking the edge of his blade before bouncing off. Teranis stood up, ready to help Flick, when he slipped to the side and raised his hands in the shape of a signal to stop her.

" Don't. He might take this opportunity to strike Soreen. I cannot let that happen, because Selene and Melanie will have my head. Stay there, and if he deviates, guard Soreen if he does," Flick replied.

" Wait, but I…"

" Allow me to settle this. Do I look that weak?" Flick asked, laughing. He raised his sword and pointed it at the assassin's head. " Come, I'll entertain you for now, assassin."

The assassin swooped in straight for the kill, before shifting his weight at the last second and veering swiftly, in a flash, to the right, before sidestepping back for the kill. However, Flick's sword came right at him to greet his katars, the larger weapon slamming the katars aside and throwing the assassin back, loosing his balance slightly. The assassin recovered quickly, and leaped around. Flick spun around quickly, using his left leg to halt the spin as he raised his sword to block another strike. His boots crunched against the snow, feeling slightly slippery under his feet, but he managed to find his footing anyway.

The assassin slipped around to his unguarded side, and lashed out with his katars. Knowing full well that he would not be able to raise his sword in time, he merely raised his right arm to block the strike. The assassin's weapons was too sharp for Flick's leather gloves to withstand the attack fully, and ripped apart as the assassin tore through them. Flick hopped backwards, his arm bleeding slightly.

" Flick!" Teranis exclaimed in alarm.

" Relax, it's merely a flesh wound," Flick replied.

The assassin leaped in from the left. Flick spun around, trying his best to keep track of the assassin. There was a quick blur of movement, before Flick reached out quickly with his right hand, catching the assassin's left katar quickly with his mere gloved hand, the blade inches from his face. The assassin raised his free hand to stab Flick in the face, but with surprising agility, Flick slammed his two-handed sword with his left hand only, knocking the smaller insignificant weapon aside.

" You know, using logic, you can't beat my larger sword with a smaller weapon," Flick replied.

There was a sudden surge of strength coming from Flick, and before the assassin knew it, Flick brought down his sword hard on him with impunity. The massive sharp slab of metal, crushed down upon the assassin's elbow, his simple vest wrapped in white bandages was paper compared to the sword, and Flick cleaved him in half. Blood splattered all over him as the assassin dropped dead in two pieces.

" What the hell?!" Teranis exclaimed, some of the blood showering on her.

" That'll teach you to mess with me, punk," Flick scowled, before turning around to face Teranis. " Some healing potions, please?"

-

" The main hall should just be this way," Camelia replied.

" How would you know?" Grimjaw asked.

" An educated guess?" Camelia mused.

The four of them tore down the corridor, before making a sharp turn along the way. Two swordsmen saw them coming, but Grimjaw merely leaped at them, kicking them aside to save time from dealing with them, sending them sprawling to the side. They heard footsteps coming up from the nearby stairway to the right, and they spun around weapons raised.

" Hang on, don't throw anything!" Sapphire suddenly exclaimed, raising her hand as she spotted Grimjaw preparing to throw his knives.

" All of you..." Melanie mused as she come up the stairs. She looked a little worse for wear. There were bloodstains all over her, some of it possibly hers. Her helm was missing, and she seemed to have sustained some ice spell, as there were traces of small ice particles all over her full-plate armour. " Where are the rest?"

" Azaroth split us up into three groups. It looks like we are the first to come here," Selene replied, looking at the large door that stood before them, their surroundings illuminated by some torches. Melanie merely narrowed her eyes, then walked up towards the door, then pushed against it.

-

Treiken looked up as the door to the hall suddenly was pushed upon by some force, someone trying to open it depsite it being locked. The guild members had been beaten, it seemed, and the army people had arrived much faster than he imagined. So, the members of the guild were quite useless after all, or either that the army took this as a serious matter and sent in some really skilled people to deal with this problem.

It didn't matter really. The seal was done anyway.

" What...are you doing with me?" Caris gasped, Treiken's feet still on her neck.

" Nothing, just a simple spell that we are using you as a medium," Treiken replied.

" What... damn... spell... is this?" Caris groaned.

" Nothing, just a mere simple spell one should not worry about, since you are about to die anyway," Treiken replied.

The door suddenly exploded all of a sudden, sending bits and pieces of flaming wood and metal to scatter all across the hall. The people inside the halls all flinched, scared of the sudden intrusion. Right where the door once stood was a smoking black crater, done by none other than another powerful explosive they somehow managed to procure. Stepping right up towards the entrance stood a very messy looking crusader, her armour washed in her own blood and those of her enemies, and had a very dark, grim look on her face, as if the grim reaper had just stepped into the room. Behind her, a motley crew of people stood behind her.

" Teacher!" Caris's cry puncture the silence that stiffled the air.

" Caris!" Selene exclaimed back, tears welling her eyes, suddenly rushing forward.

" My, my, what an unexpected reunion. I'm surprised to see that you all made it here so quickly," Treiken replied, waving his hands all of a sudden. All of them stepped backwards as a insane surge of energy sudden shot through the area. Melanie wasn't sure if her eyes were playing tricks with her, but the whole room started to distort right in front of her eyes.

" What is this? What kind of level of spell is this?" Grimjaw exclaimed.

" How is it possible for him to summon this kind of power?" Selene asked. She could feel the surrounded air start to burn her skin all of a sudden. Melanie seemed to notice the same thing. It was as if the air around them was stifling their bodies somwhat.

" So, you have realised it by now? The great power that I have attained in this place," Treiken exclaimed, laughing out loud maniacally. The other members who were in the room looked around in terror, in fear that the castle walls cannot hold such power and collapse on all of them. " Unfortunately, you are too late to stop the spell. Whatever we have achieved here will be finished. This acolyte will serve her purpose."

" Leave her alone!" Selene screamed, before tearing forward. However, some sort of invisible forcefield knocked into her, throwing her back. Grimjaw caught her in time, jumping to the side in order to reach her in time.

" The spell cannot be stopped! It's futile!" Treiken exclaimed, walking towards them.

" It doesn't matter! We will stop it!" Melanie hissed.

" Wait!"

All of them turned to look at who had shouted. All eyes fell on Caris as she attempted to stand with whatever energy she had left. She looked unsteady on her feet, although the look on her face was a look of strong resolve. She breathed hard, the air around her felt so heavy. She had no idea what this strange spell was, but she did understand a few things about it.

" Selene, this is a summoning spell he's doing. Something with immense dark energies, as you all can feel it by now. I don't exactly know what he's fusing, but he's using my body as a medium to fuse with whatever he's summoning!" Caris yelled at the top of her lungs.

" What?!" Sapphire exclaimed.

" I think they kidnapped Meillienne for the purpose for using this spell. But fear not, they don't have her now! I think she managed to escape somehow, that's why they are using me as a replacement for this spell, or whatever nonsense they are doing. This may be a bit presumptions of me to say this, but I think that I know the easiest way to stop this spell!" Caris exclaimed.

The rest of them look at the young acolyte incredulously. Neither Melanie nor the others had managed to grasp the significance of whatever was happening, and all the information that was pouring in coming from the acolyte. Meillienne was safe, Treiken was summoning something dark and dangerous that should not exist, and she knew of a way to stop the spell. Caris suddenly flicked out a large wooden splinter the shape of a very large needle.

" Oh, you managed to hide a small weapon? But your efforts are futile. True, the spell will stop by simply killing the caster, but you should know better than to use a splinter against a wizard such as myself," Treiken replied.

Caris didn't answer. Gripping the small wooden splinter tightly, she hardened her resolve. She managed to fashion some piece of wood into a crude weapon during her stay in the cell. It was due to the fact that she felt that she would need to attempt to protect Meillienne when the need arose, since Meillienne had done her the favour of saving her once. Their time together was short, but Caris appreciated it. Now, knowing that Meillienne was no longer in harms way, the weapon would serve another purpose.

To the shock and bewilderment of everyone there, Caris turned the weapon onto herself, stabbing the base of her neck with the pointed end, puncturing a wound on her neck. Time seemed to slow down as the blood gushed out of her fatal wound as she fell back to the ground.

The dark, stifling atmosphere disappeared all of a sudden, as if it wasn't there in the first place. No more surges of power, no more surged of energy, just a whole bunch of people in the entire hall. The spell was stopped, all at a price.

" NOOO!!" Selene howled in despair as one of her acolytes decided to take her life to presumably end the spell and save their lives. Grimjaw reeled backwards as Selene howled loudly in pain, dropping to her knees as tears started streaking down her face, the aching lost that her acolyte was dead was something she could not accept.

" Oh God," Maycron gasped, watching his comrade take her own life. Camelia was too lost forwards at that moment.

" No, you fool! What have you done?! You foolish acolyte! What have you done?!" Treiken exclaimed, his voice dripped with terror as he knelt, grabbing the shoulders of the now dead acolyte and shaking her violently. " What have you done?! What have you done?! What have you done?! What have you done?!"

" She has done us all a great service, that's what she did," Melanie bellowed, her voice echoing around the entire area, raising her sword at Treiken, who seemed to dazed to hear what Melanie was speaking. " I don't know what you are trying to accomplish, but Caris did what she was taught to do, and she acted like a fine soldier as I would have expected of her."

" Hey, how can you...?" Grimjaw exclaimed, but Selene stopped him, gripping his jacket tightly.

" This will be of little consolation, Selene, but nevertheless, a consolation nonetheless..." Melanie snarled as she walked up towards the rest of the members of the guild. They all backed off slightly as they watched the crusader step towards them, malice in her eyes. Violence was Vermillion's way, but then again, Melanie felt that it was something she so wanted to embrace right now in the heat of the moment, even if it was wrong in the code of a crusader.

--

" What was that?!" Azaroth exclaimed. He wasn't sure what happened, but he could feel a tremendous surge of energy pass through the entire area. Even for one who wasn't magically inclined, he could feel the energy rush through the place like a storm, rising like some sort of crescendo. Just as Azaroth felt that it could not go any higher, it suddenly disappeared all of a sudden, not there anymore.

" A powerful collection of dark energy. I've felt it before, during my times in the pyramids. Someone was trying to unleash some tremendous amount of unholy energy here," Iris said, sticking out her forked tongue. Azaroth have some vague collection of snakes being able to taste the surrounding air for their prey using just their tongue, but he wondered if that applied to sensing magic.

" What? Do you mean summoning the undead?" Azaroth asked.

" Somewhere along the lines. That's why you find a lot of dead mummies walking around Osiris's tomb, animated using some polar opposite energy from the servants of the church. There is no doubt that it tasted the same," Iris replied.

Azaroth wasn't sure if he should try and figure out what was going on. Were they trying to summon something? If they were, whatever he felt from that magnitude must have been massive. This rescue mission was getting more and more complicated with each passing moment.

" Looks like we don't have too much time to waste," Azaroth said, running down the corridor. However, both of them skidded to a halt when they saw someone running from the opposite direction. He too skidded to a halt. Azaroth didn't recognize him as someone from his side, thus by basic deduction, he had to be an enemy. The man glance at both the Isis and the swordsman who used two swords, then suddenly turned around and ran off in the opposite direction of where he came from.

" After him!" Azaroth exclaimed. Iris wanted to argue that perhaps they should be trying to find the acolytes, but gave up on that idea when he ran off quickly, since she decided it was better to stick together.

--

Patch ran outside quickly, with Semilia on his back. Semilia looked around in a rather desperate fashion outside the castle grounds. Most of the Deathguise members had either gone back inside the castle, or were scattered all around the area, none of them close enough to bother her right now. She looked all around the place, searching high and low.

" What exactly are we looking for? Why are we outside? What's the meaning of this? I'm a little bit hungry," Obelisk replied annoyingly.

" Quiet! Another of my kind is here! What he or she is doing here, I haven't the faintest idea, but I intend to find out!" Semilia replied. She looked around, before taking a deep breath and shouting out loud " I know you are here! Show yourself, you coward!"

Nothing happened, besides her voice echoing all around the place, slowly swallowed by the sound of people fighting in the distance. Crystal watched in a rather scared manner at Semilia as she looked around furiously, as if there was a real need to look out for this elusive elf for some reason.

All of a sudden, Patch barked out loud. Semilia raised her bow towards a certain direction and fired two shots. All of a sudden, Obelisk and Crystal caught sight of something moving in the shadows, running away just in time to avoid the arrows being shot at it. It was a humanoid figure, and it stood below the surrounding castle walls, his face undistinguishable under the shadow.

" I missed on purpose, but the next shot will not!" Semilia replied, gritting her teeth. " The elves should have all gone by now! Who are you, and why are you still here?! What's your business with the Deathguise guild?!"

" Ah, Princess Semilia…" the person replied casually.

" Don't you dare mock me…" Semilia snarled. Patch snarled as well, matching his master's inner fury. " Speak, elf, what are you doing here?"

" I was just casually strolling by…"

Semilia let loose two arrows, which flew by his head, before rearming her bow. " This shall be your last warning, elf. You shall tell me what I wish to know, or else, I will lose my patience, and the next two arrows will set place in your eye sockets. If you know me by name, then you should know me enough by character."

The figure didn't speak. Crystal narrowed her eyes at the person, who was still standing below the shadow of the wall. She somehow knew it was a he, and despite not being hostile, at the moment, Crystal still didn't trust him, since she somehow felt he had something up his sleeve.

" Why I am here? Serving the reason why the rest of you elves ran off in the first place," he answered.

Semilia's eyes widened all of a sudden as the meaning of his words sunk in, before releasing her arrows. Swiftly, the elf merely turned his head aside, the arrows missing his cheek by a fraction, before Patch leaped at him in a single jump, baring his fangs at him. Before they knew it, he raised his hands and made a movement, and disappeared in a flash of light. Semilia cursed as Patch landed upon empty ground, growling ferociously as he missed his target.

" Who…was that?" Crystal asked.

" A kinsmen of mine, but with some ulterior motive," Semilia replied, frowning.


	20. Chapter 19: Payment

**Chapter 19: Payment**

Meillienne looked at the castle from afar. She could hear the distance sounds of people fighting, possibly for her sake. She had no idea who had arrived to save her and Caris. She only felt comforted by the fact that someone did. She wrapped her with her own hands, trying to keep herself warm from the cold. Her regular acolyte uniform might just be enough for normal chilly weather, but it was not sufficient for the snowy parts of Lutie, and she shivered slightly at the cold as she watched the castle from afar.

" Forgive me, I do not have warm clothing for you," Krayken replied, sitting cross-legged in the snow.

" No, I's fine really," Meillienne replied. She was quite surprised at Krayken's resilience to the cold. He had barely anything on, except for the typical leather vest almost all assassin wore, a few straps and bandages around his body, and leather shoes. In fact, with the thicker cotton vest Meillienne wore, she should be less impervious to the cold than he was, but Krayken was resolute.

" Should we help them?" Meillienne asked.

" Have faith in their abilities," Krayken replied.

" But, they could use the help, couldn't they? You are a skilled assassin, why not go and help them?" Meillienne asked.

" That would leave you defenseless here, and it would be ironic if I brought you back to the place in which you initially escaped from, no?" Krayken mused. Meillienne wasn't sure what to say. Irked by the fact that she needed to be protected, or irritated by the fact that she could not take part in the attack to rescue Caris.

" We wait, then we shall go and see what we can do," Krayken replied.

Meillienne looked at Krayken curiously. She has yet to learn why he rescued her, or why she had been caught in the first place. He was very much an enigma as his emotionless face. She sighed, then looked sadly at the castle walls.

-

Melanie crashed her shield towards the first knight she saw. Her swing was so fast and powerful it smashed into the man's face before he could even react, and threw him a good 5 feet backwards, blood streaming from his broken nose. She took several steps forward, and slammed her foot right on the poor man's face. The first stomp and kick knocked his helm off his face, and the second turned his face into a bloody pulp.

Arrows and firebolts started to focus fire all around Melanie. She raised her shield and lowered her legs as the arrows slammed into her shield, before being burned by all the fire spells raging all around her. Her shield started to heat up tremendously with all the spells pummeling her, and her hands started to burn as her shield and skin started to sizzle from the heat.

Several ice walls shot up before her, giving her some temporary relief as the spells and arrows smashed into them instead. Sapphire snapped her fingers, blasting a nearby hunter with a blast of magical energy, knocking him aside. Melanie backed up slightly as the rest of the members attempted to push them back. The spell was done for, with Caris seeing to that, but that didn't mean they were ready to surrender.

" Coming up!" Melanie heard Camelia shout behind her. Instinctively, she dropped her head, despite one of the knights rushing up at her, his spear aiming for her. Melanie felt the rush of heat over her head, the flaming two-handed sword she was wielding smashing the spear aside without any effort. Raising her arms to her back, she slammed down hard in front of the knight, setting up a tremendous crash and a blast enough to knock him back, where he crashed into the rest of his comrades and onto the ice wall.

" Scatter them, Tryzen!" Melanie commanded.

Tyzen complied immediately, his hands forming arcs and seals around him as he collected all the magical power onto himself. Both him and Vermillion managed to join in the fray by following all the noise they were making, and Vermillion was tearing up a storm all over the place. A streak of lightning ran across the ceiling a second before striking down upon his hapless victims, smashing his previous ice walls apart with impunity, shattering ice all over the place. Sapphire tapped Melanie's weapon slightly, muttering a few words. Once the lightning energy started to collect around her blade, she charged forward, towards the now broken formations thanks to Tryzen's Lord of Vermillion spell, sped up by a quick spell from Maycron.

" Are…you alright?" Grimjaw asked. Selene had not taken part in the skirmish Melanie and the rest were throwing herself into. She still knelt on the ground, too shocked to say anything after seeing her student take her own life. Grimjaw was next too her, holding her shoulder's firmly, not sure if he should leave the traumatized priestess here by herself or not.

Selene didn't answer, just wearing a mask of shock on her face. Grimjaw was at a lost at what to do. He wanted to join in the fray, but he felt that he needed to still stay by her side, not that she might want it anyway. However, he suddenly felt Selene grip his rough, callous hands tightly all of a sudden.

" Come!" she suddenly exclaimed, standing up so quickly Grimjaw almost fell backwards.

" Come? Come where!?" Grimjaw asked, shocked all of a sudden, before turning around to where she was looking so ferociously towards. Treiken had given up trying to shake Caris, and was now walking away from the fight, exiting through the backdoor.

" Her murderer shall not run! He shall die in my hands!" Selene snarled. Only on rare occasions did Grimjaw see Selene really lose herself in violence and carnage, turning into someone only he himself could achieve. He knew he could kill mercilessly, but the idea of Selene doing the same still somehow brought chills to him. He had seen her in a murderous rage once, and this was it.

Her eyes seemed to sparkle with some demonic edge like none other, the kind and loving face lost within the features of anger and rage. Grimjaw felt he was imagining it, but he thought he saw the hairs on her head stand slightly, as if she was suddenly crackling with energy. At once, she shot outside, determined to track down Treiken at all cost. Grimjaw shot after her, feeling slightly worried.

" Melanie!" Maycron exclaimed, seeing Selene and Grimjaw leave.

" Let them be. If Selene wants to cut him apart, I give her the permission to do so," Melanie replied. " Let's first focus on wiping out these cockroaches first!"

-

The moment Treiken moved out towards the exterior corridor, a knife suddenly flew past his face all of a sudden. He skidded to a halt, before seeing Grimjaw and Selene standing along the corridor. The priestess was breathing hard, rage in her eyes.

" How nice of you to keep me company, but perhaps you should go back and help your companions?" Treiken asked as he saw them, although he seemed to have lost most of his confidence and pride, sounding like a man who knew something bad was about to happen. Grimjaw figured it was due to Caris cancelling whatever spell he wanted to use her for.

Selene didn't answer. She started to take slow, calculated steps forward, like a hunter slowly approaching his prey. Treiken took an involuntary step backwards when Selene suddenly channeled her Holy power to both her palms, pure white light surrounding her palms, cracking with intense energy. Grimjaw had never seen a Holy Light spell with such intensity, but he knew, even at a distance, these were spells that was potent enough to kill.

" Violence isn't something of my type for my profession, but sometimes, I think why people embrace rage and violence so willingly, and for the moment, I wish to indulge myself, as sinful as that may be, because I shall take pleasure in your death," Selene replied.

Grimjaw could not believe Selene could actually speak such words, and so was Treiken. The priestess was no longer the calm, peaceful Selene they once knew, or thought they knew. Here stood someone so foreign. Selene reminded him so much when he was in his darker moods.

" Grimjaw…" she said.

" Yes?"

" Am I scaring you?"

He looked at her awkwardly. Still, she had not been consumed by all her hate. Some part of her brain was still keeping her relatively sane.

" A little…"

" A habit of mine," Selene replied. " Caris was someone important to me, Grimjaw, and Meillienne will probably hate us for not saving here. Amuze me, Grimjaw, for this moment. I allow it."

Grimjaw returned his gaze towards Treiken, who seemed frozen to the spot. The thought of Meillienne being sad over Caris's dead was good enough. Grimjaw drew his daggers, before cracking a sadistic grin at Treiken, who was terrified to now face two mad-looking fighters. " With…absolute…pleasure…" he snarled as he spoke his words slowly and deliberately, baring his fangs as he slid the dagger's blades over one another, the sound of grinding metal making Treiken's hair stand on its end.

Grimjaw reacted first, leaping towards Treiken, his blades dancing right in front of him, gleaming under the light the torches were illuminating. Treiken fired a bolt of fire at him, which he dodged easily. Selene launched her hands forward, firing her spell, throwing the Holy Light spell at Treiken. He instantly had his Energy coat up in a second, but the shimmering layer was broken the instant Selene's spell hit him, blasting him back.

He forced himself back on his feet. Grimjaw twirled his daggers with his daggers as he came in close. Treiken snapped his fingers an conjured up a massive wall of flame, and Grimjaw was forced to stay back to avoid being incinerated.

Grimjaw heard Selene mutter a prayer under her breath, and all of a sudden, Grimjaw spotted a bright bluish light burst above him, before feeling something like a soft curtain drop over him. The next instant, his dagger seem to vibrate slightly, as if receiving an aura of aggressiveness. He didn't need to be told that Selene had just gave him an offensive and defensive boost.

Treiken kept moving backwards to keep his distance as he continued with his spellcasting. A sphere of fire started to spin around Treiken, before suddenly gathering a massive amount of magical power, obvious from the way the ball started to glow even brighter. Before they could stop him, Treiken unleashed his Sightrasher skill, blasting 8 large fireballs in their direction, except unlike the normal spell, all 8 spheres converged in their directions instead of blasting in all directions around Treiken.

_An advance spell revision_... Grimjaw thought, but it didn't deter him the least. He had dealt with troublesome wizards and their magic. Treiken was merely another who would go down by his blade.

Grimjaw leaped through the assault nonetheless, ignoring the flames. One of the spheres slammed into his side, and he felt some tense pressure pass him, but nothing more, but that invisible curtain disappeared the moment the flame touched him. Selene blasted another Holy Light spell, the one in her other hand, smashing one of the flaming balls to bits, allowing Grimjaw to pass undeterred. A safety wall was up in a second, and the flames smashed into the magical barrier Selene had set up in a second, the spheres slamming harmlessly on the walls before shattering after taking all the damage.

Treiken was up for another spell, but Grimjaw threw his dagger at him, hitting him and cutting him on his arm, disabling him from casting his spell in time. Grimjaw closed the distance between them in a leap. Treiken raised his hand, a simple lightning spell at the tip of his fingertips, but before he could fire it, Grimjaw disappeared from view. But the instant the dagger slammed down on his spin from behind, he didn't need to be told where the rogue had disappeared to.

Treiken coughed out blood as Grimjaw forced the dagger deeper into his body. At once, Grimjaw started to feel some resistance as Treiken's body started to shimmer slightly from some coat on his body, preventing the dagger from doing any deeper. However, Selene ran up towards him as well, and slammed her palm on his chest, blasting Holy powers into him. His energy coat shattered upon the impact, blood splatter everywhere as the Holy energy burst out from his chest.

" Shit..." he muttered.

" I shall pray for your safe journey to hell..." Selene whispered into his ear, before blasting another blast of intense Holy power. His body could not handle any more damage, and his innards burst out, spraying guts and gore all over the place, as Selene mercilessly carved a cavity in the middle of his chest.

-

" Wait up, you lousy punk!" Azaroth exclaimed, tearing after the man. Unlike his counterpart, Azaroth was not held back by any cumbersome pieces of heavy metal armour, and was slowly gaining on this person who was trying to escape from him. He was running at top speed, with Iris following from behind, swords in both hands. The knight was doing his best to run away from him, not even bothering to take out his two-handed sword he had kept behind his back.

The knight veered hard to the left, towards a spiral staircase which Azaroth didn't spot before since he was too focused on getting the guy. The stairs were a bit unstable, having broken pieces here and there, and it look like one could slip and fall very easily. However, the knight stormed up the spiral staircase swiftly, and since he didn't fall, Azaroth assumed his footing was fairly good.

" Come on, let's see why he's so eager to get rid of us," Azaroth said, taking three steps at a time.

" Wait, Azy!" Iris called out loud.

Azaroth turned around to see what had happened. The small spiral staircase was just too small for Iris to pass through easily, not to mention with her snake-like body, it was much more difficult to climb up a flight of stairs. Even if she did manage to squeeze through, she would only serve to block the exit.

" Tch, guess you can't come up then," Azaroth replied. He wondered if it was the knight's plan to separate both of them.

" What now?" Iris asked.

" Can you sense where the others are?" Azaroth asked.

Iris stuck out her forked tongue for a while, testing the air. " I don't sense any humans present around the place. Most of them are at at hall, I think," she replied after a while.

" Alright, go back to them, and help them if the need arises. Inform them that I'm up here," Azaroth replied.

" Will you be safe alone?" Iris asked.

" I think I shall," Azaroth replied, before dashing up the stairs before Iris could rebuke him.

-

Selene took hard, deep breaths as she looked at what remained of Treiken. The wizard's body lay in a charred stump, his upper body blasted beyond recognition. His face was etched with a feature of extreme pain and agony, and he didn't die in anyway nice. Selene looked at her bloodstained hands, which was sizzling slightly as she felt the intense of use of magic starting to heat up the palm of her hands. It has been ten years since she last killed someone in such a fashion. Strange thing was it brought her relief.

" Am I...inhuman?" Selene asked absentmindedly.

Grimjaw merely looked at her passively, not sure if he should say anything about it. He wiped his daggers dry by running them over whatever remained of Treiken's attire, before slipping them back into his jacket.

" Define what it means to be human then," Grimjaw replied.

Selene looked at Grimjaw, not too sure what he meant. " I..." Selene started, sighing loudly. In the heat of the moment, she felt that it was so urgent to kill this man. Now, when the rage left her, she saw it as a pointless, violent action. Somehow, she could not see the point of killing him in such a fashion. " What...did I just do?"

Suddenly, she felt Grimjaw wrap his hands around hers, squeezing them reassuringly. The priestess that stood before him now looked so lost and confused. " If violence troubles you so much, understand that it was me who tainted your hands with his blood," Grimjaw replied.

" What..."

" This all started because of me: if I didn't leave, this probably wouldn't happen. If I didn't make such a mess in Morroc, Caris wouldn't need to die. If I didn't have to care so much about you, there would not be any need for this senseless killing. It's my fault, blame me!" Grimjaw replied, suddenly raising his voice.

There was loud smack, and Grimjaw winced as Selene slapped him hard on the face. Grimjaw tasted blood on his face as Selene's hands ran over his face. A bloody smear was drawn on his face, but Grimjaw didn't seem to mind a bit.

" I...don't blame you...I can't..." Selene said, tears welling up in her eyes. It took her several more seconds before she broke down entirely, burying her chest on Grimjaw's as she broke down in tears. Grimjaw merely hugged her close, wrapping his hands around her while trying his best to avoid staining her with the blood on his hands, although he didn't mind her wiping it on his chest. He had washed himself in the blood of his enemies before, a little bit made no more difference.

Grimjaw tried to stay calm, allowing Selene to let it all out. She had been troubled by his departure, insisting on not staying in Prontera, troubled by the death of her acolytes that were placed under her, and the death of one more they failed to save. Selene's thoughts were messed up and confused right now, and the only output she decided to place it though was now dead, a mere bloody stump than a dead body.

Selene sobbed for a while. Grimjaw didn't really bother about them being in the middle of a castle they were sieging. Nobody else was around. The fact that Melanie, Tryzen, Camelia, Sapphire and Maycron were stuck with a bunch of enemies left was insignificant. He wondered how long would this last, and wondered if he wanted it to.

" No..." Selene replied, pushing hersle away from Grimjaw. " Melanie...Maycron...Sapphire, the rest of them still need our assistance..." Selene said, wiping away her tears. " Thank you...for letting me cry..."

" No problem..." Grimjaw replied, not sure whether to be relieved at the fact that Selene had recovered quickly, or disappointed at the fact that she was no longer embracing him. He decided to choose the former. " Shall we?" he asked, as if asking her for an invitation to take a walk.


	21. Chapter 20: Priestess's Sorrow

**Chapter 20: Priestess's Sorrow**

Melanie scanned the area. The hall was now quiet, only the sound of the flames from the torches whispering around the corridor. The skirmish was over, and the fight was over. Dead bodies of the guild members lay all over the place. Melanie was merciless in taking them down. This was the sort of punishment they deserved to get. She didn't even flinch when she looked at all the dead bodies that lay on the floor, merely looking at them with contempt.

" I think I'm feeling a little sick," Maycron replied, his hand hear his mouth least he gagged.

" Sorry, Maycron, I got a little carried away," Melanie replied, slinging her sword on her shoulder before turning back at him, grinning. Maycron merely shrugged his shoulders, and walked to another corner of the hall.

" Are you alright? You did take quite a beating already," Camelia replied, sheathing her two-handed sword on her back, her face in a mess.

" Well, I have to agree, I did exert myself a bit too much," Melanie replied, taking a seat in the middle of the hall, before dropping down on the ground. " Relax, I just need a break," she replied when Maycron jumped to his feet in alarm, thinking his commander was too injured to sit properly.

" So, we failed to save one acolyte, and another made it out somehow. What next?" Tryzen asked.

" I doubt that we finished the whole lot, so it would be safer if we managed to set up a parameter around the area before anything. If what Caris said was right, then we will need to worry about Meillienne later. Take a quick look around, and if possible, get the rest of them to gather here before we do anything else," Melanie replied.

Before Tryzen could leave, several footsteps were heard calmly walking back to the hall's entrance. Tryzen and Sapphire reflexively started to collect their magical energies in their palms, only to relax when they saw Selene and Grimjaw return. Sapphire almost did a double take when she saw Selene. Grimjaw was understandable, but Selene's attire was almost covered in blood, as if she took a shower of blood somehow. She somehow managed a smile when she returned.

" Done already?" she asked. Tryzen noticed that the tone in her voice was rather dry.

Melanie noticed it as well. Selene was probably still feeling guilty about loosing Caris, not that it was really her fault, but she could not do anything about it. She answered her nonetheless. " Of course we did. How about Treiken?" Melanie asked.

" He shall be of no more trouble," Grimjaw answered. Melanie merely nodded, and returned to looking at the ceiling. Her whole body was aching badly. After taking a massive number of spells and beatings, she was totally drained. She had no idea what made her push as hard as she did. Melanie thought it boiled down to her wanting to punish these bastards, but then again, she felt that it was odd that she seemed to be looking for an excuse for her actions.

_Hmm...why am I sort of regretting my course of actions all of a sudden..._Melanie thought to herself.

She looked aside to see Selene walk past her, towards the middle of the room where Caris's limp body lay. All of them watched quietly as she knelt down to the fallen acolyte. Caris's face was peaceful, even in death. In fact, there was this odd serene look on her face, as if she was happy. Selene couldn't imagine what she was so glad about, but she had to admire the acolytes resolve.

" The least I can do for you..." she muttered as she pulled out the large wooden splinter Caris had inserted into the base of her neck, tossing the weapon aside when she was done. Afterwards, she cradled the body in her arms, making soft, sad noises under her throat. It was a sad sight, and most of them turned their heads away from Selene, as she rocked to and fro slightly, continuously making soft noises.

Tryzen turned his head once more, only to see Semilia enter along with Patch, Obelisk, Peineya and Crystal. She looked a little disheveled, but fine nonetheless, besides having an almost empty quiver of arrows now. She nodded at them as she entered, as if to give a signal, before she got off the massive wolf of hers. Her eyes turned to Selene and the acolyte in her arms, and her eyes seem to soften a little.

" Hey, is she...?" Obelisk started to speak, before everyone who was close to him grabbed him from behind and slapped his mouth shut before he could further speak, and he was further silenced by the dark glares everyone else gave him, telling him this wasn't a good time to speak random stuff like he always did.

" Forgive me...I was held up at the back..." Semilia replied as she walked up to Melanie, who was still sprawled on the floor.

" Never mind. I'm glad you are fine," Melanie replied. " Any injuries?"

" None that you will need to deviate your attention from yours," Semilia replied.

Melanie gave a smile. " Well, fancy that, I thought you will never pull a joke," Vermillion piped in.

" Enough talking, V. Anyone still capable of moving go set up a perimeter. Someone go back and check on Soreen's condition, while the rest of you go out in pairs and sweep this castle. I'd hate to allow some of these insects to roam around freely," Melanie replied.

" What?! What happened to her?!" Maycron exclaimed in alarm, jumping to his feet.

" That wouldn't be necessary, Melanie, and she's fine, Maycron, nothing to worry about," Flick's voice floated through the entire hallway.

All of them spun around to look at the sound of the voice. Flick stood proudly at the entrance, the figure of Soreen carried on his back, wrapped tightly in two cloaks to keep her warm as she looked slightly pale. Right next to him was Teranis, who looked a little cold. The winds outside started to pick up, and the temperature must have dropped significantly by several degrees. However, there was a newcomer amongst them, standing in the middle of the two of them, looking slightly lost and dazed at the sight of blood and tired bodies lying all over the place from a recent fight.

" Hello, Meillienne. It's good to see you in one piece," Melanie replied weakly as she saw her.

Meillienne looked around the room, looking at each face one-by-one, not sure who to greet first. Selene released Caris's body when she noticed Meillienne enter the hall. Tears started to well up in her eyes as she ran up to the most important person in her life, and Grimjaw staggered back when Meillienne barged into him, grabbing him tightly, threatening not to let go as she sobbed loudly on his shirt.

" Where'd you find her?" Tryzen asked, disengaging from the rest of them, allowing Meillienne to reconcile with her brother and Selene, who got up and hugged the acolyte tightly, tears streaming down her face as well.

Flick merely thumbed to the direction right behind him. He walked off and exited the room, noticing that Vermillion was behind him as well. Both of them exited the castle and walked towards the castle grounds, stopping in front of the lone assassin who stood by the entrance of the castle.

" Fancy seeing you here," Vermillion replied.

Kryaken didn't answer. He merely nodded his head.

" So, you rescued Meillienne, eh?" Tryzen asked. Once again, Krayken merely nodded his head.

" Why? Not that I'm unhappy that you did, but what motivated you to do so?" Tryzen asked.

" ..."

Tryzen looked at Vermillion and merely shrugged his shoulders. This assassin would perhaps, be forever, an enigma to Tryzen. Perhaps the only person who could understand him best was Azaroth. Suddenly, the thought of Azaroth reminded him of the current situation.

" Where is Azaroth?" Tryzen suddenly asked. He was the only one left who had not joined them.

-

The spiral staircase was insanely long. Azaroth huffed slightly as he continued to run upwards, his breathing getting heavier and heavier with each passing second. The knight was still very high up. He had no idea why he was running up there. Perhaps there was something kept up there that he needed to retrieve. One of the acolytes, perhaps. Surely, he could not be escaping. The staircase led upwards, and upwards only meant the roof of the castle.

Azaroth paused for a while, slightly tired. Taking a few second to catch his breath, he then continued upwards, running at top speed. He heard the knight's footsteps fade away at the top, and Azaroth guess he probably reached a landing somewhere. He continued going up, while keeping an eye upwards just in case he decided to throw something down at him, and the small spiral staircase would prove difficult to avoid anything that was dropped from above.

It didn't take him long to reach the top. Azaroth ran out of the exit, finding himself on the roof of the castle. He found himself standing in a wide area, that looked like some arena of sorts, his surroundings flanked by the castle spires. The wind blew against him, and sent chills down his body as his cape fluttered along with the wind. Looking around, he saw the knight standing in the end of the rooftop. He walked over to the edge of the rooftop, looking at Lutie at the distance.

_Is he trying to kill himself?_ Azaroth thought.

He apparently didn't have any plans to kill himself. He merely walked over an area, and purposely stepped on one of the stone blocks that made up the floor of the rooftop. There was a loud, jarring sound striking through the air, and when Azaroth turned around, he saw that the entrance to the rooftop had been cut off, now covered by a massive slab of stone, which looked practically immovable. Azaroth turned to face the knight, frowning. _Did he lead me up here just to face me alone?_ Azaroth asked himself.

The knight stepped forward, clapping his hands rhythmically. Azaroth wondered if it was a trap, or his clapping was supposed to signal something, making him subconsciously dart his eyes around, but the knight spoke up all of a sudden. " Relax, there is no one else here besides us, you and me. I'm merely commending you upon you and your platoons ability to crush my defenses, and even stop the spell we have been working so hard to make," he replied laconically.

Azaroth figured he must meant the odd surge of energy he felt earlier. He couldn't resist a grin. So, the others managed to stop some spell as well. He still wasn't sure whether they managed to secure the acolytes as of yet, but so far, so good.

" Enough of your theatrics. What was the reason you lured me up here alone?" Azaroth asked, raising his swords at him.

" I'm...merely taking the next best option I can take..." the knight replied.

The knight looked a little confused when he saw Azaroth's slightly confounded expression. " I see...maybe you were not part of the initial siege, or you haven't gotten the whole picture yet. It would explain your dumb look," the knight replied. Azaroth gripped the hilt of his swords when the knight called him dumb, but he continued with " I thought better of you, Azaroth Crimson."

" How'd...you know my name?" Azaroth asked, frowning.

" Wouldn't you like to know?" the man replied.

" I hardly believe that was a bloody coincidence! How the hell do you know who I am?" Azaroth demanded. " Who are you anyway!? What's your purpose?!"

" I shall explain it all in a nutshell," the man replied. " My name is Kain, and that is more than enough for you to know. My plan to infuse the 'dark seal' has failed, and failure is not an option, and I surmise that my life is over, or will be over soon, now that my spell infusion has failed. Thus, I have decided to do the most good here. Killing you shall fix things hopefully to a lesser degree, and settle my debt and task slightly, besides the bigger picture."

Azaroth didn't really know what to make of his words. So, this was the guild leader. However, Azaroth somehow felt that he was suicidal, except that he felt that it was prudent to bring down at least someone before he died. Azaroth wasn't sure whether that was a foolish thought or not.

" You must have some guts..."

Azaroth didn't managed to finish his sentence. Kain threw something at him, and reflexively, Azaroth raised up his sword to intercept it. The bottle smashed in front of his face, spraying its contents all over Azaroth's face, chest and right arm. All of a sudden, every part of his body which was in direct contact with the water started to hurt, like he was being pricked by multiple needles. The pain was temporary, but the pain was enough to disrupt him slightly. He looked at the liquid Kain threw at him, clear and transparent.

" Water?..No..." Azaroth mused, before realization hit him hard. " Holy water?!"

" You say that I have guts. Let me assure you I do," Kain replied as he drew his two-handed sword he kept on his back.

Azaroth frowned, his head running with all sorts of thoughts, the main one yelling loudly in his head was asking himself repeatedly how the hell did Kain know that he was susceptible to Holy properties. Kain raised his sword, and he sort of glowed with power for a moment, collecting his strength before leaping at Azaroth.

-

Meillienne looked forlornly at Caris's body upon her insistence. She sighed as she looked at the serene and peaceful face she had even in death. She just wasn't sure what to say at the moment. She merely knelt down and prayed for her friend quietly. Selene stood next to her, having the same expression as her student.

" So, looks like we crapped up badly this time. Not only did we fail to rescue the acolytes, the only acolyte was rescued by some random assassin I don't know," Flick replied, sounding dejected.

" At least Meillienne made it," Camelia replied.

" You make it sound as if Caris was any less important," Teranis replied.

" I didn't mean it in that sense that!" Camelia exclaimed, sounding affronted.

" Silence, scumbags! They are trying to have a moment of silence, and all I have is a bunch of people bickering about the mission. We shall discuss this when we get back," Melanie replied, sighing loudly as she forced herself on her feet. " This has to be somewhere between the fourth and tenth time I've ask for all of you to set up a perimeter, but what are you people doing?!"

Hearing the slightly annoyed tone on Melanie's voice, Flick, Sapphire and Grimjaw started to move out, not before Tryzen stepped back into the hall and exclaimed " Azaroth hasn't arrived. I was positive we were set to meet here, but he hasn't arrived yet. Should we look for him?"

" A perfect opportunity to look for that bugger," Melanie said, although there was a hint of worry in her voice. _Did something serious happen to him?_

However, once more, another figure entered the hall right behind Tryzen, and this time it was Iris. Grimjaw was quick to notice that Azaroth wasn't with her. " Urm...can some of you follow me? We need to help Azaroth."


	22. Chapter 21: Duel of the Swords

**Chapter 21: Duel of the Swords**

Azaroth ducked the moment Kain swung his sword at his head. His body still stung slightly, and he wasn't in the best position to counter his moves. Azaroth felt the rush of wind above his head as he dropped to his knees to avoid the blow. Kain didn't miss a beat. As soon as the sword missed, he allowed it to spin once around him, swinging lower this time to hit Azaroth who was kneeling on the ground. Azaroth leaped backwards to avoid the strike, rolling on the floor for a few times before stopping himself several feet behind where he originally stood.

The stinging started to subside, and he felt fine now. He raised his swords, bracing for the next attack. He will have to figure out how the heck Kain knew about his ability. His first thought was that rogue necromancer, Tyranus, since the other sources of information was either from him or Selene. However, Tyranus intended to keep him alive, while Kain looked hell-bent on killing him. If they were on the same team, that would look strange.

Kain ran up to him, his sword carried low. Azaroth parried the blow, but the massive weapon was no match for a mere one-handed sword. The impact it carried knocked Azaroth's Tsurugi aside, making him lose his balance slightly, Seeing an opportunity, Kain swung his sword swiftly at his legs. Azaroth quickly slammed Haedonggum on the ground, before the metal blades slammed into each other, knocking Azaroth a few meters backwards from the impact. Azaroth rolled on the ground, before spotting a shadow come over him.

Kain slammed his sword on Azaroth, who managed to parry it my forming a cross right above his head right before Kain managed to crush his skull with the slab of steel. Azaroth kicked Kain's leg violently, shifting his weight slightly as loosening his hold on his sword. Azaroth stole this chance to push Kain back with all his might, before rolling aside and jumping to his feet quickly.

Azaroth found himself breathing hard already. Azaroth had just engaged a number of Kain's men, but Kain looked like he did not take part in the fight as of yet. The advantage was clearly on Kain's side, moreover his weapons served him better. Although Azaroth was more adapt at speed, his constant fights has made him tired, and this only made him marginally faster than Kain. Kain's two-handed sword was more than enough to break Azaroth's momentum due to the difference in weight, and even all Kain did so far was to use simple swings over wide arcs, he still had Azaroth beat.

Kain swopped in at Azaroth once more, swinging his sword around. Azaroth stepped back, the sword missing him by a fraction of a distance, and once the sword swing past him, Azaroth stepped forward, bringing his Tsurugi smashing hard on Kain. The strike hit, but Kain's thick armour plate absorbed most of the blow. Kain flicked his hand, and Azaroth expected another swing of his sword, and jumped back. However, he was mistaken when he saw another bottle containing transparent fluid fly towards him.

-

" Are you telling me that he ran all the way up there?" Melanie asked. Iris merely nodded. She had lead them towards the spiral staircase that seemingly reach up towards the roof. Tryzen peered through the staircase, not able to see it's end. " And he was chasing after some knight?"

" Could it be Kain?" Semilia asked.

" Not likely, because I remember him standing right below my explosives before the bombs went off and the front gate was blown to splinters," Melanie replied.

Grimjaw didn't wait for a reply. He ran up the stairs, taking four steps at a time.

-

Azaroth gave a yell of pain as the bottle smashed against his face, the glass cutting his face. However, the sensation of the Holy water splashing all over his face was even more antagonizing. Azaroth stumbled backwards, his face heating up all of a sudden as he felt sharp stings on his face, smoke and steam rising from his face. He dropped his Haedonggum and grabed his face in agony, before hearing the sound of footsteps approaching him. Looking through his fingers and half closed eyes, he saw Kain right in front of him, his sword raised.

Azaroth tried to dodge the blow, but wasn't fast enough. The two-handed sword manage to graze his face, drawing a thin line across his face. Azaroth staggered back, his face smeared in blood, partially blinding him. He tried to wipe away the blood from his face to clear his vision, knowing that it would be dangerous for him if he was blinded in a fight.

Kain picked up his Haedonggum and with one swift throw, sent it flying off the rooftop. Azaroth watched his sword fly, before disappearing over the edge of the roof. He didn't even hear it hit the ground.

" Son of a bitch…" Azaroth muttered.

" I'll be sure to stick it upon your gravesite when we are done, just for added effect," Kain replied.

Azaroth ran up towards him, before making a quick side-step just as Kain swung his sword again. Azaroth out-maneuvered the wide arc, before coming in close for the kill. Kain raised the hilt of his sword, parrying the blow of Azaroth's Tsurugi with the edge of his hilt. Pushing Azaroth back, he struck low, aiming for his legs once again. Azaroth leaped up and pulled his legs to his chest, before bringing his sword crashing down on Kain's skull as gravity pulled him back down. The impact made a severe dent on Kain's helm, and blood could be seen trickling down his forehead as Azaroth stepped back to observe his handy work.

" You sure live up to your name," Kain said, licking his lips.

" I have yet to make a name for myself. Perhaps that can be easily solved by killing you and presenting your head as a gift," Azaroth replied.

-

" Holy crap!"

Flick recoiled in an instant when a sword suddenly dropped from above. He was taking a look around the exterior grounds when all of a sudden, something dropped right by next to him loudly, sinking into the snow, making him jump in fright. The sword landed several feet behind him, thankfully missing him. Camelia, Meillienne and Sapphire ran out to check what had happened.

" Flick, what's wrong?!" Camelia exclaimed.

" Some mad dog almost dropped this on me!" Flick spat.

Sapphire looked up. Wherever the sword came from, it was probably from somewhere on the roof. However, all she could see was the edges of the rooftop, and nobody was around the edge as of now. Were there people still up there?

" Was it because of someone who is on the roof?" she mused.

" Whoever that was, he or she is nuts!" Flick yelled.

" …Isn't that Azaroth's sword?" Meillienne replied after a while.

-

Kain brought his sword crashing down hard on the solid stone floor, forming a small crater when he made contact with the floor, sending bits and pieces of rock and concrete all over the place. Azaroth stepped aside to avoid the blow, before striking on Kain's right. Kain swung his arms up, parrying the blow easily. He swung around violently a few times, forcing Azaroth to back-up to avoid getting sliced in half.

Before he knew it, Azaroth suddenly backed himself up towards a wall. Kain took a split second to contemplate on the strike, before bringing his sword right at Azaroth. Unable to back up any further, Azaroth brought his sword up to his side to block the strike, using his free hand to hold against the attack. The massive blade came crashing by his side, ripping a cut on his arm and knocking him silly to the ground.

Kain stepped up, before kicking Azaroth painfully in the gut. Azaroth gagged, before coughing out blood at the impact, Kain dealing a severe blow to his internal system with a well placed kick. Before Kain could give him another kick, Azaroth whipped his arm around quickly, striking his leg. Kai gave a yell of pain as his blade tore through his greaves, cutting his tendons painfully. Azaroth got to his feet, only to let Kain throw a punch to his gut, sending him flying backwards. Azaroth wasn't wearing any heavy armour, and he wasn't really stacked or heavily built, so his light frame was sent sprawling several meters back.

As Azaroth staggered to his feet, Kain took out a bottle of red potion, and poured it over his wounded leg. The bleeding stopped, but still some of the injuries lingered as Azaroth saw Kain limp slightly even after healing his wound. He had cut down Kain's mobility somewhat, but at a cost. Azaroth coughed and spat out more blood, dripping down his mouth.

_Shit, what strength. He's punches are about as powerful as Melanie's…_Azaroth thought, grabbing the spot where Kain had hit him hard. It was now throbbing painfully, and it showed no signs of subsiding anytime soon.

Even with the injury to his leg, Kain still came at him. Azaroth managed to escape due to a poorly aimed strike at his face. However, the strike was apparently a farce, since Kain flipped his hands out and out came another bottle right at Azaroth's face. Azaroth didn't need to be told what it was, since he had been struck twice already.

Switching the striking angle slightly, he batted the bottle with the flat side of his sword. The bottle shatter to pieces upon impact, but he managed to spray all the fluids away from him, falling on the floor harmlessly.

" Your aiming sucks!" Azaroth replied, coming right at Kain with another strike on his shoulder, sending blood spraying out as he slammed his sword hard on Kain's shoulder, his blade squeezing through the cracks of his armour, the chainmail within unable to withstand the slashing effect and tearing once pressure was applied violently.

-

" What do you mean it is blocked?!" Tryzen demanded.

" That's what I said. This leads to a dead end. All I see here is a slab of stone. I can hear some noise on the other side, which sounds like people fighting. Azaroth must be on the other side, and whoever it was must have trapped him on the rooftop," Grimjaw replied, feeling the wall.

" Break it down then!" Vermillion exclaimed replied.

" I can't break a wall. I only have knives for that," Gimjaw replied, striking the stone slab that blocked his way with his Stilletto. He merely chipped the wall slightly, but that was the best he could do.

" Tryzen, can you blow the wall from here?" Melanie asked.

" I can't cast a spell on something I cannot see. I need to see the thing anyway. Casting an area spell around here might destroy the entire staircase," Tryzen replied.

Melanie spat. The spiral staircase was way too thin for then to switch places, and Tryzen was now at the back of the entire group, which consisted of, following in order: Grimjaw, Semilia, Vermillion, Melanie, Selene and finally Tryzen. Walking space was enough for one person, and if they were to switch their moving order, it will mean that they will need to go back down to open ground, since the top exit was sealed off.

" Back down, back down!" Melanie exclaimed, forcing Selene and Tryzen to move backdown.

-

Azaroth landed a kick on Kain's chest. Although the armour plate absorbed the blow, the kick was enough to send Kain falling backwards on his rear end. Kain tried to get up, only to feel a powerful kick towards his head, compliments from Azaroth. Azaroth ran up towards him as he was vulnerable, and slammed his foot right at his head, the resounding crash knocking Kain back on the ground, his nose broken.

Azaroth suddenly stumbled aside, surprising Kain, who figured that Azaroth was going for the kill with Kain temporarily stunned by a broken nose. Azaroth suddenly dropped to the ground, very tired and weak. The injuries he took from Kain's attacks still stung painfully, and he was quickly tiring after fighting for so long. This fight would have long been over with Azaroth as the victor if he wasn't this tired.

Azaroth quickly tried to catch his breath. It was highly unlikely that his companions might make it up here in time. Even with Iris calling for them, unless they were unoccupied, it would take a while, not to mention he had the stone slab to move. Unless the pathway was opened, they wouldn't be able to reach the top.

Suddenly, a though occurred to him.

Just as Kain attempted to get up, Azaroth took off towards the side of the rooftop where he saw Kain step on the stone slab on the floor to close the entrance to the rooftop. If the switch to close the stone slab was somewhere there, then perhaps he could open the entrance. Kain spotted him stepping on various stones, randomly putting pressure on the floor as he attempted to remove the stone slab that was blocking the stairway entrance.

However, Azaroth stopped when he saw Kain look at him passively, watching him as if he was some sort of entertainment for display. " The mechanism to open it is somewhere else, isn't it?" Azaroth sighed tiredly, pissed that the dumb idea was futile.

" Well, beats me…" Kain replied, before launching himself at Azaroth. Azaroth raised his sword, but the sword came at such a speed he was unable to block it entirely. The sword broke through his guard, and before he could react, Kain brought his sword crashing down on him.

-

Tryzen dropped out of the exit below, with Iris looking at him in confusion as the rest of them started to pour out from the spiral staircase. " Did you find Azaroth?" Iris asked as Grimjaw was the last one out.

" Nope, not yet," Tryzen replied huffing, before taking the lead up the spiral staircase this time.

-

Azaroth staggered backwards in pain. Kain's attack tore a large gash on his chest, and he was bleeding badly. Blood started to drip all over the place as he held his wound, doing his best to keep as much blood from pouring out from the wound. Azaroth dropped to his knees, too tired to move another step. Kain was proving too much a match for him.

" Shit…this can't be happening…" Azaroth groaned.

" But unfortunately, it is…" Kain replied confidently as he took out another bottle from the insides of his armour plate. He uncorked the glass stopper and splashed it all over Azaroth.

Azaroth could merely cry out in pain as the Holy water started to burn his body once more, and this time, with an open wound, the pain seemed to have amplified. Smoke started to appear all over his body as he felt his body burn even more this time. He gripped his body in pain, biting his lips to stop himself from screaming any further.

" An interesting trait really. Would you like to know how that information came to me?"Kain asked.

Something whipped right at him, and smashing into his chest. Azaroth used the last of his energies to send one more Last Strike at Kain's direction, but it didn't affect him much. Kain sustained another cut on his head, but that was about as far as it went. His final attack lacked any force or energy to deal anything significant. The last attack took a toll on Azaroth, as he felt the tendons in his right arm snap from stressing it out too much.

" Guess you don't…" Kain replied. The unsurprised look on his face told Azaroth that Kain also vaguely knew about his special skill. Azaroth's breathing became hard and sharp as he glared at Kain, who walked up towards him. _Who is this guy?_ Azaroth asked himself. _Am I going to die here?_

Ironic, he had died once already, although the previous time, it was a painless execution. Now, his body was riddled with wounds and they stung. Kain raised his sword, aimed it at his heart, and stabbed his sword forward.

-

Melanie slowed down all of a sudden when Tryzen slowed down as well. The wizard didn't look too well, as he was sweating and panting, despite the cold. Going up and down a flight of stairs twice seemed to have taken it's toll on the wizard, who didn't exercise much.

Melanie wasn't impressed though. " Hurry up, Tryzen! You need to keep moving!" she exclaimed.

" I…know…" Tryzen panted slightly, before resuming his climb.

-

Azaroth reached out suddenly with both his hands and grabbed Kain's sword, cutting his hands painfully as he attempted to push back the blade. Kain merely applied more pressure, and easily, the sword slid through Azaroth's hands and stabbed him in the chest.


	23. Chapter 22: The Fallen Commander

**Chapter 22: The Fallen Commander**

Kain frowned as Azaroth continued to hold his sword back. The edge managed to pierce his chest, but Azaroth was doing his best to avoid the entire blade sinking into his body, despite coughing out blood and bleeding all over the place. Kain tried to push harder, but the blade merely sunk by a fraction only. Azaroth wasn't even aware of what exactly he was doing. He was in too much pain and delirious from the loss of blood to think coherently.

" Resistance is futile!" Kain exclaimed loudly.

At that exact moment, a loud explosion rang in the air, and Azaroth vaguely felt a bright flash of light lit up right next to him, before being hit by a mad rush of wind. The next instant, Tryzen burst through the wall he blasted open with his magic, before spotting Azaroth at the distance.

" Azaroth!" he exclaimed in alarm.

Tryzen was too shocked to act quickly, but Grimjaw took up the slack. The moment he exited the staircase and saw Kain, he flicked out two knives and flung them with expert precision towards Kain. Kain saw the knives coming, and he raised his hands to block them, one bouncing off his steel gloves while another sinking into his shoulder. Grimjaw started to run towards Kain, throwing knives and dagger periodically, with Kain making no real attempt to block them, only doing his best to try to kill off Azaroth within the short timespan he has left.

Azaroth felt the sword suddenly slip out of his chest as Grimjaw violently crashed himself into Kain, sending the knight flying several meters away, loosening his grip on the blade as Grimjaw barged right into him. Azaroth coughed out blood slightly, before falling down on the floor, dizzy from the loss of blood. He could hear several footsteps coming up to him, and through the veil of blood and haziness, he could see Melanie kneeling over him.

" Azaroth…shit, hang on, Azaroth…you'll pull through!" he could hear her speak to him.

" Aww…how nice…" Azaroth muttered.

" This is no time for jokes, Azaroth!" Melanie yelled, although she wasn't sure whether he was listening or not. He seemed too delirious to even be listening to her.

Right towards her side, Kain kicked Grimjaw off his body after being brought to the ground, but Tryzen and Sapphire stepped up to him. Sapphire traced a few signals in the air, and all of a sudden, the air seemed to pick up speed, and the temperature seemed to drop all of a sudden. Tryzen snapped his fingers, and all of a sudden, there was a wild whirlpool of chilling winds blowing around in all directions. The metal armour Kain wore started to collect frost, and ice started to form around his joints. Soon enough, he was encased in a thin layer of ice, but he was too weak to break free.

" We might need you alive, so stay quiet for a while, won't you?" Tryzen replied, staring darkly at Kain. " I lowered the strength of my ice spell as to not kill you outright."

Melanie placed her hand over Azaroth's wound and started to channel her healing energies into him. As a crusader, she wasn't really trained in the art of healing, but she knew some of the basics. However, as soon as she started to heal him, Azaroth cried out in sudden pain, as if Melanie had hurt him.

" What the hell are you doing?!" Grimjaw yelled out loud, seeing Melanie hurt Azaroth further when he was already severely injured. His blood was pouring all over the place, and if they didn't close his wound soon enough, he would die soon.

" I…I was just healing him…" Melanie replied in shock. She wasn't sure why he was crying out in pain due to a healing spell. She tried again, before stopping when he squirmed around in agony. " This doesn't make sense! Why the hell is he getting hurt from a basic heal spell!?"

" Stand aside…" Selene replied all of a sudden.

The rest of them looked at her. She walked up towards Azaroth, motioning the rest of them to back off.

" Selene, what's the…"

" Stand aside, or else he will die! We can explain later!" Selene shouted loudly. Melanie backed up quickly, not wanting to argue.

Selene clapped her hands together to mutter a short prayer, before whipping her hands around. The floor beneath started to glow, before bursting out bright white light, slightly blinding to their eyes. All the Holy energies started to surround Azaroth, and his wounds started to heal at an alarming rate, the open wounds closing up within several seconds. However, it was obvious this was not a normal spell, as Selene seemed to be crackling with crimson energy as well. The spell stopped after a while, and Azaroh lay on the ground, unmoving but breathing slightly, his wounds all sealed up, with Selene trying to catch her breath.

" What the fuck was that?!" Vermillion yelled all of a sudden. " Can someone explain to me what the hell did I just see just now?! I want some explanations, hell now, or someone is going to end up in a situation like the regular poring!"

Tryzen stepped up towards Azaroth's unconscious body, and knelt down next to him. He drew several sigils over Azaroth's face, and a small, white floating circle appeared above his head. However, the moment he touched it, it disappeared without a trace. Tryzen frowned, before standing up.

" As I suspected, Azaroth's Holarian Limit is 0 percent, isn't it?" Tryzen said after a while.

" What?!" Grimjaw exclaimed.

" You knew this, didn't you?" Tryzen asked, directing the question to Selene. " That wasn't a normal Sanctuary spell. It was laced with some Dark energies, I could sense it clearly."

" You are not wrong," Selene replied, before sitting down on the ground, obviously very tired. Everyone looked at her before she continued. " This happened on the incident 2 years ago. If you remembered correctly, Azaroth was executed in the public, but as we all know, Tyranus brought him back to life. He never explained it fully, but he said she used some vague dark magic on him, and because of that, he was infused with some dark energy, a partial zombie, if you would like to call it. Using Holy spells on Azaroth will sting him slightly, but not kill him outright, although in his condition, any further damage using Holy spells might kill him, so I infused a bit of Dark energy into my spells to lessen the effects of the damage."

" Infused? I find it hard to believe that one can infuse Holy and Dark energies so easily," Sapphire replied.

" Not infused, but it was more on the fact that I used two separate spells at once…" Selene replied.

It all made some sense. Melanie remembered the time when she attempted to heal a cut on his cheek out of good-will, only to cause him to recoil slightly due to the sting. Azaroth's body had been fused with dark magic, not at a large scale, but of some amount. She sighed as she watched him, seemingly much more stabilised now with Selene attending him, before turning to face Kain.

Right at where Kain stood frozen, there was now an arrow stuck through his head, piercing through his skull with precision and acute accuracy, hitting the back of his spine and sticking out of his forehead. He was obviously dead, only held upright due to all the ice that stuck on to him. From the angle of the shot, it was obvious it was shot from someone below.

" Shit, I didn't even hear the arrow hit!" Grimjaw spat.

" Wait, Melanie, it's dangerous!" Sapphire exclaimed.

Melanie didn't care. She ran up towards the side of where Kain stood, which was close to the edge of the roof, and scanned the surrounding area. There was nothing, or the lack of light made her unable to see. She looked at the arrow wound, and checked the angle. Despite being at the edge, the arrows was shot at such an acute angle that from the average look, the shot must have come from some massive distance, possibly more than 500 meters, an almost impossible shot for a regular hunter, not to mention the arrow even flew straight. Whoever could fire such an arrow at such a distance with such force was beyond her imagination.

She, however, caught the sound of the patter of running feet. Turning around, she saw Semilia running down the spiral staircase at top speed.

As soon as Semilia reached the bottom of the spiral staircase, she placed her thumb and index finer together in her mouth and whistled shrilly. The next instant, Patch came bounding her way, and she leaped on top of his, like an expert knight mounting a Peco Peco as if it was something natural.

" What's the matter?" Crystal asked, alarmed at Semilia's sudden action.

Semilia didn't reply, but merely urged Path to break off into a run. Patch took off immediately, dashing towards where she led him. Flick gave a look of surprise when the massive figure of the wolf bounded past him, running towards the entrance of the now charred front gate, exiting the castle ground.

" What the heck is going on right now?!" Flick asked, confused.

_There is probably no doubt that the elf I met earlier was responsible for the kill. How he managed the shot, or why he shot Kain, is beyond me. _Semilia thought to herself. He certainly wasn't hostile towards her, but she could somehow sense that he wasn't on their side.

_What constituted 'their' side anyway?_ She thought darkly.

Patch continued to run, before Semilia asked him to stop. He had travelled quite far from the castle now, and this would be the rough estimate of where the shot took place, although the area of the shot was unknown. She spun around, looking all over the place. Patch couldn't smell anything, perhaps due to the snow, and there were no visible tracks. Her elven senses didn't pick up anything as well.

" What are we looking for?" a voice suddenly asked.

Semilia spun around, almost wanting to release her bow, before seeing Vermillion coming up towards her, having made it all the way here. The monk walked right up towards her and sighed, cracking her knuckles and looking around.

" Hey, hey, hey, I came here to help, not get shot at…well, not by you, at any rate," Vermillion replied

" How'd you…"

" Teleportation spell. People think I use my fist too much to be able to know how to use some basic spells. There was a spell around the castle to prevent warping in and out, but outside the castle walls it was as easy as pie," Vermillion replied. " So, who are we chasing? You seem pretty agitated when you saw Kain getting shot."

" Whoever did this was another elf, and definitely not an ordinary hunter. A sniper, perhaps. Either way, he should not be here," Semilia replied.

" Why not?" Vermillion asked.

" If he is, then…" Semilia said, before stopping. Vermillion looked up at her curiously, but Semilia didn't seem to want to complete the sentence, as she continued with " Stay close, and keep your eyes peeled. He will have most likely be gone by now, but still, we could look around for a bit and see whether we can track his movements."

Vermillion nodded, and all three of them moved further ahead.

-

" Is he going to make it?" Tryzen asked.

" I think he will. We will need to shift him inside, before the cold gets to him. Move him carefully though, he isn't in a position to be handled roughly," Selene answered.

Tryzen and Grimjaw breathed a sigh of relief. All of Azaroth's injuries had been fixed, and he was nothing but unconscious right now. Nodding towards Grimjaw, Tryzen slowl picked him up by his shoulders while Grimjaw carried his legs. Very slowly, the both of them made it down the staircase, one step at a time.

Selene looked at Melanie, who was still looking at the statue-like body encased in ice that stood dead at the edge of the roof. Nobody had bothered her in a while, and Melanie merely just looked at the body with mild amusement. Selene stood up and walked up towards her, wondering what was on the mind of the crusader.

" I think there are bigger things brewing up than we have ever imagined," Melanie said all of a sudden after what felt like several minutes of silence.

" I think so too…" Selene concurred. " Are you alright, Melanie? I didn't get a chance to look at any injuries you have."

" Me? I'm totally fine," Melanie said, turning around and giving Selene and fierce grin. Selene wasn't too sure what to say. Here stood a crusader who was covered in blood, a mixture of hers and her enemies, from head to toe, her muscles taunt and tight from all the aggressive maneuvers and sword swinging. Only Melanie could smile in such a situation, and despite the grim situation, she still somehow managed to make it look fantastic.

" I'm sorry…"

" Eh? What for?" Selene exclaimed, wondering what the apology was all about.

" …I didn't manage to save your acolyte…for that, I'm sorry," Melanie apologized. The sound of her voice seemed the match the snowy, melancholic background of the surrounding area.

" Don't apologise. You…did your best…" Selene said, although Melanie caught hold of her swallowing her words.

" We have always been told to just do our best, and when we fail, we should hold our heads up proudly, because we have done all we could have done, and nothing else we could have done would suffice, and we will have to leave it to fate," Melanie replied. " However, I still can't shake the feeling that we still have done something wrong, that the death of one acolyte would measure up to the rest of the world at large."

Silence fell between the two friends as they contemplated upon the words. Selene looked down on the floor, thinking about Caris, and whatever the spell was supposed to serve. Was it a wise choice? Was it a correct choice? She had lived long enough to know that some things cannot change despite whatever effort you put in. War had thought her that the hard way.

" How's his condition?" Melanie asked.

" He'll live," Selene answered.

" Aww, what a pity," Melanie sighed, breaking the silence with humour. Selene couldn't help but smile. It was only on rare occasions that Melanie would crack an impromptu joke, and it was only in somber, sad situations like this when loss had occurred. " Let's go down. We will need to leave when we are done here, and I'm dead tired. I could use a nice, warm bed."


	24. Chapter 23: The Funeral

**Chapter 23: The Funeral**

When Azaroth woke up, he found himself lying on something warm. Trying to focus his eyes, he saw a wooden ceiling somewhere above him. He tried focusing again, wondering if he was seeing things, but there was no mistake. He was indeed looking at a wooden ceiling. He had some recollection of someone stabbing him in the chest, then some shot of pain, before blacking out. He groaned loudly as he tried to sit up, his head feeling very dizzy.

" You are up at last," a warm, soft voice spoke to him.

Looking to his right, he saw Meillienne sitting on a chair right next to him, next to a table filled with towels, soft foods, water and a whole lot of stuff that looked like raw herbs. She smiled at him when he got up, and leaned over and gave him a tight hug. Azaroth wasn't sure if he was in a dream or not. Looking out the nearby window, he saw bright sunshine glaring through a tall, lush tree. From the sight, he figured he wasn't on the first floor of the building.

" Where am…I?" Azaroth asked, sounding a little disorientated.

" You are resting in one of the inns in Payon. It has been a week you have been unconscious, but I'm glad that you are awake now," Meillienne replied.

There was a long pause, as Azaroth had to collect his thoughts. " Payon? Why are we in Payon?" Azaroth asked, wondering why was his brain not functioning that well today.

" After the rescue attempt, Melanie had to be recalled back for duty, since being a Squadron Commander meant that she had a lot of responsibility. She was sent here to Payon to deal with things for a while, so she figured since you were so badly wounded you could do with some change than Pronteran stone walls, and some natural environment at least. She did say you always looked a little cooped up in your barracks," Meillienne replied.

That much was true. Azaroth had spent most of his life in a small village, much closer to nature. The walls of Prontera was indeed slightly stifling for him. He shook his head a little bit, trying to collect his thoughts. It took him a while, but then he spoke " We were supposed to rescue you, weren't we?" Azaroth replied.

" Yes…I haven't thanked you for that yet," Meillienne replied.

" It's alright. No need to fuss about that," Azaroth replied. " How's Caris?"

The awkward silence made him feel embarrassed.  
" Shit…sorry…I didn't know…sorry," Azaroth said, falling back onto his bed.

" It's okay," Meillienne replied calmly. Standing up, she took a bowl on the table next to her and passed it carefully to him. The aroma was sweet and thick, and Azaroth felt hungry all of a sudden, like he had not eaten for two weeks. " Take this. The rest of them are busy, but I think Grimjaw is still around. I shall fetch him and inform him that you are fine."

-

Within the next 5 minutes, Azaroth had finished his soup, most likely cooked by Meillienne, traced using the flavor. He felt slightly revigourated after the meal. He cleaned himself with the towels and water supplied in the nearby basin, smelling slightly after not bathing in such a long time. He did his best to clean himself. There was a set of clothing placed aside for him, and he put them on, although it felt a little loose. He then realized this wasn't his usual attire, which was mostly ruined by Kain in their fight. Someone else must have gotten him a new set of clothes. He wondered who did.

He strapped on his swords, which were placed neatly by the side of his bed, onto his belt, both in perfect condition. However, as he attempted to draw his sword, he felt some lingering pain in his right arm. He deduced that it was due to the fact that he probably injured his muscles from over using his own technique too many times. His left hand would have to suffice for now.

" I see that you are feeling all better now," a voice replied.

Azaroth turned around to see, not only Grimjaw, but Tryzen standing right at the entrance of the doorway, both of them leaning by the doorframe, wide grins plastered on their faces. Azaroth raised his eyebrows in an amused fashion.

" Oh bugger, you two only? I was hoping for at least some female company," Azaroth replied, sighing.

" Oh cheer up, least we are here to see the invalid. Tell me, you lousy prick, how the heck did you get yourself in such a mess? You are the only one who was completely unavailable for an entire week now," Tryzen replied, walking over to Azaroth, throwing his arms around his shoulder. Tryzen wasn't particularly heavy, but having recently recovered, Tryzen's arm felt as heavy as lead.

" Must have been too cocky," Grimjaw replied sarcastically.

" I was most certainly not!" Azaroth replied, raising his voice.

" If you want to blame anyone, blame your Squadron Commander. She was the one who said that she blew up Kain in a big bloody explosion. Turns out she was wrong, and you almost because a skewered lizard at that," Tryzen replied. " So much for reliable information."

" What are you guys doing here anyway?" Azaroth asked.

" Meillienne has been tasked with taking care of you, so she has been at your side for the whole week now. Naturally, Grimjaw couldn't really leave, so he has been hanging around aimlessly around Payon, although the general population doesn't look too fondly upon him doing odd jobs to earn some zenny. Tryzen warped here immediately when he could afford it, thanks to Meillienne, who has informed him of your recovery. As for me, I have to follow where my husband goes, as irritating as it is," Sapphire replied. Azaroth looked at the door to see her standing there, her arms folded and a curious, humorous expression etched on her face. " How are you doing, Azaroth?"

" I'll live. Sorry for allowing Tryzen to disturb you by dragging you along in such a fashion. There was no real need. I'd go back to Geffen and find this idiot by myself," Azaroth replied, pointing at Tryzen while poking his face.

" Come on, sunshine, let's take you out for a walk, shall we?" Tryzen suggested, pulling Azaroth out of the room.

-

Azaroth missed the smell of the forest. It was only on rare occasions did he managed to get a break long enough to visit his village. Payon felt very peaceful and tranquil. Most of the houses here, unlike Prontera or Geffen, were built of wood, retaining a lot of the ancient Payonese architecture. Payon was surrounded in forests, greenery all over the place. A light wind blew over the area, and Azaroth took a deep refreshing breath.

" Feeling better now?" Tryzen asked.

" Yeah…much…" Azaroth replied.

" That's good to hear," Sapphire replied.

" Are sure you should be moving about?" Meillienne's voice asked all of a sudden.

She stood behind the door Azaroth just exited, the inn he was staying in. She didn't have an annoyed look on her face though, and she merely smiled at him sweetly as she skipped right next to him.

" Oh geez, I'm fine…" Azaroth replied sheepishly.

" Brother, don't smoke in front of people!" Meillienne chided. Grimjaw merely looked at her as he placed a cigarette in his mouth and was about to light it. He paused when all of them looked at him, before keeping back his matches.

" Relax, I was just going to put it in my mouth," Grimjaw replied, not in the mood to argue with his younger sister, while being too stubborn to remove it from his mouth. Azaroth wondered if they still had problems between themselves, since the Grimjaw he used to know would merely scold Meillienne for teaching him manners and light his cigarette anyway, and Meillienne would laugh at his attitude.

" What's Melanie doing here?" Azaroth asked.

" She was sent here to investigate some sort of thing that had been going on the Payon caves, although I'm not sure of the details, but Selene is helping her with it. Some members of her platoon are here. She has asked you to join her when you are ready. She's probably inside the caves now," Sapphire replied.

" Geez, what a troublesome lady," Azaroth groaned. " Where are the rest of them?"

" You have been out for so long, so perhaps maybe it would be good to start from the beginning," Tryzen replied, as he lead the way.

--

_Few days ago_

All of them stood around in a circle around the burial spot where they had placed Caris within. The acolyte seemed peaceful, even in death. After cleaning her body, they prepared a burial for her near the graveyard sites on the outskirts of Payon. The entire platoon that took part in the mission, save for Azaroth, were there to pay their last respects.

" Where did Krayken go?" Tryzen asked.

" He said he had things to deal with, so he left," Vermillion answered.

" Shhh!" both Flick and Iris silenced them.

" Caris, despite all our efforts, we were unable to save you, and for that, as a mentor and teacher, I must apologise. Perhaps if the circumstances were different, things could have been avoided, but things cannot change now," Selene spoke on their behalf. The rest of them merely kept quiet as they waited for her to finish.

Meillienne took a look into the spot where Caris lay. She was now wrapped in some of the church's simple ceremonial clothes, merely to honour her for the occasion. Caris, like Meillienne, was an orphan as well, with no other close living or known relatives. Thus, they decided to bury her in her hometown and attended the quiet ceremony to keep her soul company.

However, Caris seemed too peaceful even in death, and Meillienne wondered if that applied to all people when they died. Her face didn't seem to have a care in the world, as if she was merely taking a nap.

" Despite the situation, you still put up a brave front, and perhaps it was an untimely choice, but perhaps your actions might have saved us all that day. Meillienne is thankful for the company you gave to her during those dark periods alone," Selene replied, before getting to her feet. Vermillion and Grimjaw picked up their shovels and started to bury soil over her body.

" So, what did you find about the spell?" Melanie asked Tryzen when Vermillion and Grimjaw were busy filling up the grave. Tryzen gave her a look, before looking at Sapphire for help.

" Tryzen couldn't come up with anything too useful, and neither did I. We did some tests on the lingering effects of the seals, and on Caris's body. We didn't find out much, but this are a few things we do know," Sapphire replied, as if giving a report to a field commander. " The spell Treiken intended to cast was, theoretically, from what we found, used to extract the essence of one's soul."

" …What?..." was the only word Melanie could reply.

" What she meant was that spell was used to extract Caris's, or supposedly Meillienne's soul. What this is used to serve, I don't know, but once the soul has been taken out, the medium would die anyway," Tryzen answered.

" Secondly, after the completion of the spell, the soul was to be sent somewhere else."

" What do you mean, Sapphire?" Melanie asked.

" I traced arcane networks all around the castle itself. After the completion of the spell seal, Treiken would have transported Caris's soul out of the place. To where, and why, I have no idea," Sapphire answered quietly.

Melanie frowned as she rubbed her chin while contemplating the information. " Anything else?" she asked after a while.

" Whatever Caris theorized turned out to be correct. By taking her own life, she effectively cancelled the spell. Seeing that she figured she might die when the spell completes itself, she may as well die while doing something…useful," Tryzen answered with an undertone.

Melanie didn't answer, but turned her head and looked at the burial site. Grimjaw and Vermillion were done filling up the grave, and Selene and Meillienne were doing the finishing touches. Melanie was still just as confused to what they were dealing with here. Despite having assurance that the spell was canceled, she still couldn't grasp the magnitude of the entire mission as of yet. There was something enormous that was beyond them, yet she felt the day she would come to understand would be nearing.

As the rest of them started to leave one by one now that they had laid Caris to rest, Grimjaw took out another cigarette and lighted it. He had been smoking a whole lot more nowadays, even more than his spat with Selene and his sister. He wondered if it had anything to do with safety regaining his sister once more, or his relationship with Selene. Whatever it was, it wasn't too healthy, but Grimjaw disliked thinking of what would eventually happen if he smoked too much.

All of a sudden, someone bumped into him from behind, and hugged him tight. Grimjaw stopped in his tracks when he felt someone's presence behind him. Only two people would ever want to hug him in such a fashion, and at the level of the arms that were wrapped around him, it could not be Selene.

" I'm sorry…are you still mad at me?" Meillienne asked quietly. Grimjaw didn't need to look at her, but he somehow knew that she had tears streaking down her face when she spoke somehow.

Without saying a word, he grabbed her hands and pried them apart. Slightly shocked at his actions, he spun around, his life as a rogue allowed him to move faster than her eyes could track his movements. Within the next second, she suddenly felt herself being thrown upwards, and before she knew it, she found herself sitting on top of Grimjaw's shoulders, her light weight and small size allowing him to carry her easily. He didn't say a word, but continued walking.

Meillienne tried to wipe away the tears in her eyes. This was, in fact, the second time he had ever carrying her around in such a fashion. The previous time was in the event after their parents' death, where she had wandered off somewhere after being instructed to stay within the confines of her own home. Grimjaw had to hunt her down, killing someone brutally when he tried to take Meillienne away. " …I'm sorry…are you angry with me?" the young, innocent girl asked her older brother, who was covered in a layer of blood that wasn't his, his knife gleaming in the Morrocan sun.

He answered in the similar fashion as he did now, and Meillienne was feeling very grateful.

" Thank you for coming for me. I just knew you would come," she replied. Grimjaw didn't answer. " Can you do something for me?"

Grimjaw stopped in his tracks, and looked up at his sister.

" Caris always wanted to take up smoking, since she thought it would look cool somehow, but that was until her 21st birthday. So, I was thinking…" Meillienne started, sounding embarrassed.

Grimjaw merely turned around, and walked back to the grave. Selene merely looked at him curiously as he took out a fresh new cigarette, lighted it, and stuck it into the freshly dug grave, the smoke spiraling up towards the sky. Once done, he turned around and walked away. Selene could only smile as she watched the two siblings walk away.

" Don't hog her all by yourself, you selfish brat!"

Grimjaw suddenly felt someone tackle him roughly from behind. His knees buckled all of a sudden, and he attempted to cushion his fall to avoid Meillienne from hurting herself when she dropped. However, Meillienne was quick enough, and she jumped off his shoulders as he crashed to the ground.

" V, that was risky and dangerous," Selene chided towards the monk.

" Well, too bad for him then," Vermillion laughed, before jumping off Grimjaw who was sprawled on the ground and going off to hug Meillienne. " Sorry, I've been missing for a while. How have you been?"

" Been better..." Meillienne honestly replied.

" Aww, that's alright..." Vermillion patted Meillienne playfully. Selene wasn't sure if she wanted to lecture Vermillion on being tact or disrespectful, but then again, Meillienne seemed to be enjoying Vermillion's company anyway, so perhaps the monk did know what she was doing. She heard a shuffle, before seeing Grimjaw walk away. " Eh? You are not going to snatch her back from me?" Vermillion asked curiously.

Grimjaw merely waved his hand, signaling that he didn't really mind, before walking off, smoking a new cigarette as the former was crushed on the ground on his fall. Vermillion sighed, before heading back towards the town. Meillienne followed Vermillion, knowing that he probably was in a troubled state of mind and needed some time alone.

" Why don't you keep him company?" Teranis suggested as she walked up behind Selene.

" Why don't you stop giving me suggestions for once?" Selene replied tiredly.

" Hey, advice is what I give best for you, you should know that," Teranis replied, patting Selene on her shoulders. " Looks like you have more work to do, but I have other things to attend to as well. I'm not obliged to stick around for too long, so I'll be heading back home right now."

" Thanks for coming along," Selene replied back.

" Think nothing of it," Teranis answered, before walking off towards the town as well.

-

" How's Azaroth's condition?" Melanie asked in an off-handed manner.

" His condition is stabilising, but he is currently in a coma. He has lost a significant amount of blood, but he will most likely pull through. He will be invalid for a few days, possibly more than a week," Soreen answered.

" Shouldn't you be resting?" Melanie asked questioningly.

" She's fine," Maycron replied.

" I don't remember asking you," Melanie replied.

" I'm fine, really," Soreen answered.

Melanie was about to reply when she saw Semilia waiting near the entrance of the Payon gates, leaning on one of the wooden pillars that they erected around the place. Understanding at once, Melanie waved to the rest of them to allow them to be alone. Maycron lead Soreen off somewhere, both of them holding hands together, while Sapphire tugged Tryzen away, who followed her reluctantly. She waited a while, before walking up to the elf.

" Thank you for your help," Semilia said, although with a tone of arrogance in her voice like she always wore.

" I should thank you instead, you helped us out greatly," Melanie objected.

" Nevertheless, Treiken is now out of the picture, and my mission with him is done. With that, I'm finished with you people for now," Semilia replied. " There are other things I have to attend to as of now, and for that, I must take my leave."

" Will you not stay for a while?" Melanie asked.

" I must decline your offer. I have other things to deal with. After all, I have that elf to hunt down," Semilia replied.

" Is he so important to chase down?" Melanie asked.

" There are...some things that needed to be dealt with...so yes..." Semilia replied.

Melanie looked at the elf with a tired expression.

" May I ask a question?"

" ...Perhaps. What is it you wish to know?" Semilia asked.

" What's an elf princess doing here, of all places?"

" Unfortunately, that's one question I cannot answer," Semilia replied.

" Will I know eventually?" Melanie asked jokingly.

" I'm sure someday you will," Semilia replied, before walking off towards the eastern side forest.

" Will I see you again?" Melanie called out to her after a while.

Without turning around of stopping, Semilia answered " That, is a definite yes."


	25. Chapter 24: Parting of Ways

**Chapter 24: Parting of Ways**

" Where has that obnoxious loudmouth gone to now?" Iris mused as she looked around.

Semilia's pet companions were all gathered at the nearby forest near the outskirts of Payon grounds, waiting for their master as per instructed. She has yet to arrive as of yet, and so was Obelisk. He had been missing since morning, probably wandering around as always. It was strange that he had not bugged Peineya as of yet, so Iris deduced that he would do so soon. She only hoped that he would be back before Semilia arrives.

" Indeed, where is he?" Semilia spoke up all of a sudden.

Iris and Crystal jumped up with fright, although Crystal was technically already hovering several inches off the ground at that point in time. Peineya looked unfazed, staring blankly when Semilia spoke up. Patch got up and walked towards his master, stroking his head lovingly on her thigh, and Semilia rewarded him with a scratch behind his left ear.

" Geez, I didn't sense you coming!" Iris exclaimed.

" If you could, that would reflect poorly on me as a hunter, would it not?" Semilia replied, smiling slightly.

" Are we going to leave?" Crystal asked.

" Of course, we are. Our business with these humans are done, and Treiken is done. We have other matters to deal with, so it's best if we part ways from here," Semilia replied.

" Aren't you going to say goodbye to Azaroth at least?" Crystal asked.

Semilia's expression changed all of a sudden, her calm expression turning rather foul as she frowned with contempt. " And why would I want to speak to him of all people?" she replied, her words almost coming out in a snarl.

" Well…he did save you…" Peineya replied robotically.

All of them turned around to look at the Munak as she spoke the few rare words she ever uttered out of her mouth. Semilia looked away with a look of disgust while her pet companions continued to stare at Peineya as if she had done something ridiculous. " None of you shall speak about this event, I forbid it…"

" Forbid what?"

Semilia turned to see who has spoken. It was the female monk, Vermillion, standing right behind them with her arms akimbo, and the young acolyte whom they had rescued, next to her. Vermillion shot a broad grin at them, then walked up to Semilia. Patch growled loudly when Vermillion approached, baring his fangs but doing nothing else.

" Leaving so soon? I thought you'd stay for a little while longer," Vermillion replied, cracking a broad grin.

" There is nothing left of importance or value that would compel me to stay here, Vermillion. Besides, I have other unfinished business that I need to attend to. Treiken wasn't the only problem I have to deal with," Semilia replied, sounding slightly cold towards her.

Meillienne stepped up and bowed at Semilia. " Thank you for rescuing me, Semilia. I will be eternally grateful," Meillienne replied. Vermillion raised her eyebrows when she spotted Semilia almost replying with some retort, but kept her peace, making her wonder what exactly did she have in mind at the tip of her tongue. Meillienne turned to the rest of Semilia's pet companions and said " And all of you as well."

Crystal merely bowed, like some servant taking praise from her master. Iris patted Meillienne's head several times as a sign of thanks. " You too, cute dog…" Meillienne directed her words to Patch, as she reached out her hand towards him.

" Wait, he doesn't…!"

Meillienne started rubbing the underside of Patch's chin, and strangely enough, the fearsome wolf didn't seem to mind. Vermillion and Semilia continued to look in utter amazement as the wolf started making soft cooing noises, as if he liked being rubbed by Meillienne, who was giggling cheerfully, seeing Patch liked her.

" …like strangers…" Semilia finished her now defunct warning.

" Hoh, what's this?" Iris mused.

" How peculiar…" Semilia replied, frowning. " Patch never was sociable with anyone else besides me."

" I guess it's her gift," Vermillion replied.

" Gift?"

" Indeed, a gift," Vermillion repeated herself.

" Oh yeah, are you all waiting for that talkative Bongun?" Meillienne piped up all of a sudden, still keeping her hand under Patch's chin. Vermillion noted that patch now looked like an overgrown cute dog who seemed to be enjoying a nice tickle and not the fearsome animal she had always known it to be.

" We are…why?" Semilia asked.

" I think I last saw him entering the forest area with Peineya a couple of hours ago, but I only saw Peineya return a while later. Perhaps he got lost?" Meillienne replied. The rest of them turned to look at the silent Munak, who had turned her back towards them, hopping up and down, seemingly oblivious to whatever they were saying.

--

_Present Time_

Azaroth looked passively at the grave they had dug for Caris, a small mould of earth protruding out from the ground under the shade of a large tree. Grimjaw, Sapphire, Meillienne and Tryzen stood behind him as he took some time to contemplate on things. He knelt down next to the grave and ran his index and middle finger along where Caris was buried, rubbing the dirt and soil within his fingers.

" What is he doing?" Meillienne and Sapphire asked Tryzen at almost the same time. Grimjaw didn't seem to be bothered at whatever Azaroth was doing, or the question his sister and Tryzen's wife posed, merely drawing a deep breath from the cigarette he was smoking.

" Something symbolic, I think…" Tryzen answered.

" Just giving my respects to the dead, that's all," Azaroth replied. " What do you all plan on doing now anyway?"

" There is nothing much to do in Geffen anyway, and most of my research has come to a standstill, so I guess I supposed I'm actually taking a break now," Tryzen answered. " Meillienne has been sticking around because she wanted to take care of you."

" What?!" Meillienne exclaimed loudly, turning a shade of red. " D-don't put it so tactly!"

" What's wrong?" Grimjaw replied, smirking. " I thought you said…"

To everyone's surprise, Meillienne suddenly raised her foot instantly, and her limb connected hard on Grimjaw's groin, which made him wince in pain. It certainly was an effective way of shutting him up instantly, albeit it was also a very painful method.

" Shut up, I said you are not allowed to say that!" Meillienne exclaimed, pouting angrily and looking totally flustered.

" Geez, you sure do know how to pick out 'good' habits from me, don't you?" Grimjaw groaned, still managing to stand despite the kick.

Azaroth raised his eyebrows, and he was about to ask what was all the fuss about when he spotted Melanie walking towards him from the distance. She was, as per usual, clad in her full-plate armour, as if she was ready to go to war. The look on her face told him that he was dealing with some serious business now, and the way she was walking towards him told him that she needed him immediately.

" Yo," Azaroth replied cheerfully, giving her a very lax salute.

" I see that you are no longer invalid," Melanie replied, nodding to the rest of them to acknowledge their presence. " If so, then all the better. I'm here on business, and you are on duty. Get your stuff ready, I need you in the Payon caves."

" What's this? I've just recovered, and now I'm on active duty?" Azaroth asked.

" Was that a complaint?" Melanie asked, frowning. " Besides, you look fine. You've probably been skipping work by pretending to be sick and sleeping in bed."

Azaroth sighed slightly. Melanie sure wasn't in the mood for idle chat today. Either she was having her period, or Vermillion cheesed her off, or whatever she was currently doing was not going well enough.

" No, no…I wouldn't want to complain..." Azaroth replied, raising his hands in defense. " Sorry, people, looks like I'm needed. Catch you all later, alright?" With a wave of his hand he followed Melanie, who had spun around and walked off. The rest of his companions looked on at him as he walked. As soon as he was out of earshot from them, he asked " Well, what are we dealing with this time?"

" Before we deal with my mission at hand, would you mind telling me about that 'latent' power of yours?" Melanie asked.

" 'Latent' power? What, you mean..."

" Exactly..." Melanie replied. " I tried to heal you when you were seriously wounded when we found you on the roof. Could have killed you with what I did."

" Yes…" Azaroth replied in a dead-pan manner, wondering how to really explain it. " It was…a side-effect…Tyranus brought me back to life using her Dark Arts. There was bound to be some side-effects."

" Do side-effects include accelerated healing?" Melanie asked.

" I wouldn't call it accelerated healing, but more of increased rejouvenation rate," Azaroth replied, trying to be cheeky.

" So, why did Commander Aesis asked you to keep this from us, or from me, for that matter?" Melanie asked.

" Beats me…why don't you ask him?" Azaroth asked. " Are you…angry at me…because of this?"

" What?!" Melanie asked suddenly in a rather high-pitched and alarmed voice. " No, Azy, I'm just curious about the circumstances. My anger is stemming from other things and not because you didn't tell me about this, and I apologise if you seen to be getting the wrong idea."

Azaroth raised an eyebrow in surprise.

" It's not like I don't know Commander Aesis wants to keep this quiet, but really, you could tell at least some of us besides Selene on how to treat you if you end up in such a bad shape. Letting Selene be the only person available to treat you isn't going to be very effective if she isn't around," Melanie continued.

Azaroth wasn't sure whether to breath a sigh of relief, or to chuckle with glee, especially since Melanie used the name 'Azy', as if she was trying to coax him to calm down by using a more intimate name to address him by.

" For one, I'm in Payon with a mission at hand. After the aftermath at Lutie, I was called here to investigate a series of disappearances in the Payon caves. As you know, a number of explorers and adventurers love to explore the dark and dangerous caves of Payon, with untold treasure and things to find within the darkness. People getting lost or killed by the monsters that reside within the dark walls is common, but recently, they have been disappearing at an alarming rate."

" Disappearing?" Azaroth asked.

" Disappearing may be a wrong word though. The missing people do come back, as skeletons we found in the caves though," Melanie answered.

" Are you sure they were from the people who disappeared?" Azaroth inquired.

" Some of the people in Payon gave us detailed descriptions of the people who went missing, and whoever who is doing this was nice enough to leave the victim's clothes behind, so yes, the skeletal remains are from the people who went missing all of a sudden. I'll fill you in on what I know…"

" A total of 124 people went missing inside the Payon caves over the span of 3 days. Once the army was alerted to the matter, they decided to dispatch us from the 3rd Division to settle the matter. Our priests found that there was an exponential increase in dark energy resonating from within the caves itself, although they cannot pinpoint exactly where this dark energy seems to be coming from. Payon caves originally has some set amount of dark energy, channeled out like radiation of sorts somewhere in the deepest parts of the accursed place, but this new energy seems foreign."

" We've been checking the caves for some time now, but our search and investigation has proved to be useless. Despite setting up guards at the entrance, still a couple of people went missing from the village somehow, not to mention two people from my squadron went missing, their remains later discovered in the caves."

" I can somehow see why you are pissed…" Azaroth replied quietly. " So, why drag me along?"

" This matter is way beyond my capabilities to deal with, so Reinne is coming down personally to deal with this matter," Melanie replied.

" What? The Princess?!" Azaroth exclaimed.

" Exactly. I was against the idea somehow, but Reinne said that she would see to this personally, and being my Division Commander, I could not say no. Thus, I need all my best men I can get to ensure her safety on this mission, and you will be one of them. Your platoon is prepped and ready as well, and they await your command. Only problem is your second-in-command has gone missing."

" Missing?" Azaroth asked. " What do you mean by that?"

" Semilia left after we were done with our mission, since she said that she had some other business to deal with. However, Vermillion somehow came up with an excuse to follow her somehow, and ended up going on some merry trip with the elf. I have no idea what she is up to, but she is going to get hell from me when she gets back," Melanie snarled.

"She..left with Semilia?" Azaroth mused, not too sure what Vermillion was up to with this kind of action. " Why? I mean, what was Semilia going to do after this?"

" Well..." Melanie pondered for a while, before composing herself quickly and continued. " You know that Kain was finished off after we arrived at the roof, correct?"

" So I heard..."

" He was shot by an arrow fired over a range that was humanly impossible. Semilia has reason to believe that this was done by an elf, her own kind. I'm not sure why, but she was adamant in hunting this person down. She didn't say it openly, stating that she had unfinished business to settle with, and left. Vermillion decided to tag along," Melanie answered.

" So, Vermillion decided to tag along with Semila to go elf hunting,amazing...does she know that it might take her almost an eternity to find an elf? What's she thinking?!" Azaroth asked.

" Beats me, if she comes back, maybe you can ask," Melanie replied.

Azaroth looked around him as they walked along. They were passing by small dirt roads littered with pebbles and massive green trees around them. A few soldiers were around, and they saluted when Melanie walked by. Azaroth recognised them from people from his division, and they seem to be keeping guard around the place. They finally arrive at the large massive entrance of the Payon caves.

Just a short walk away, Payon caves is an underground complex of mazes of multiple levels. The upper levels were fairly simple and straightforward, but it later spirals into a complex labyrinth where one could easily get lost. It is also home to a multitude of creatures and monsters, like the undead Munaks, and the Sohee demons, among other things. Still, there is always a lure of treasure and adventure in the caves, like capturing Sohee demons, or to find unknown treasures left behind or collected by the caves citizens over time. However, recently, it just became dangerous.

" Hmm?" Melanie mused all of a sudden.

Azaroth looked ahead of him to see what had caused Melanie to react as such. He spotted several army personal at the entrance of the Payon caves, probably preventing people from entering. However, there was this lone man who was standing by the entrance, speaking to two of the knights. He turned around when he spotted them. He was sporting a long, brown coat and a long walking staff that was about his height.

_Is this guy some middle-aged, wizard hermit of sorts?_ Azaroth thought.

" Mayor Payron, what are you doing out here?" Melanie asked when they were in speaking range.

" Oh, Commander Melanie. I was here to check on how things were progressing," the man spoke as he bowed.

" I'm afraid it's not to well, Mayor. My commander, Princess Reinne Malkenthos will arrive shortly to see to the matter," Melanie replied.

" What? The Princess herself? Personally?" Mayor Payron replied. " I'm ashamed, to even allow the Princess herself to come all the way personally."

" Do not fret about it too much, Mayor. Commander Reinne will think little of it, and it's not your fault anyway. There was little we can do but enlist her help," Melanie replied passively.

" I'm really grateful," Mayor Payron replied. " I've prepared some refreshments for your men, whom I'm sure are quite tired from all this. Some food and drinks will do a lot of good. I have them stocked by the cart on the southern dirt road. Please help yourselves."

" I'm grateful, and I'm sure my men would appreciate that. But this is now a dangerous place, so I would like to advice you to leave this place at once. I'm sure you have other things to organise back in Payon," Melanie replied.

Mayor Payron bowed at Melanie, before taking his leave. Azaroth glanced around to see him walk away, not before shooting him one last glance before heading off.

" Hey, Captain!"

Azaroth turned around to face a young boyish swordsman who ran up eagerly to him, followed along by a small troop of people behind him. Azaroth recognized them all as members of his platoon Melanie placed him in charge of. It consisted of 2 swordsmen, a knight, a crusader, a wizard, an archer and 2 acolytes, and with Vermillion and him combined, it was an extra monk and knight. It was a relatively young group, with him and Vermillion being at least 2 years older than the rest of them.

" Oh, Harken, how have you been?" Azaroth asked.

" Don't mind me! I heard that you had been seriously hurt in your last mission to deal with something that nobody back at headquarters could disclose. I think I should be the one asking how are you now?" Harken asked in a slightly frantic and excited tone, especially from the speed of the words that was flying out of his mouth.

" I'm fine…really…although you know how much our Squadron Commander likes to push us all, so that's why I'm up here as well," Azaroth answered calmly.

" Urm, captain, I think you are supposed to say those words when she's not…two feet next to you…" one of the acolytes replied, while her other companion giggled.

" That was the point of the comment exactly…" Azaroth replied, grinning while turning around to look at Melanie. She merely huffed, before walking away.

" Geez, you always like to say weird stuff, Captain," the archer replied.

" And I've asked you bumbling idiots to stop calling me Captain!"


	26. Chapter 25: Payon Caves

**Chapter 25: Payon Caves**

" I assumed you had a safe trip?" Melanie asked.

" Dear me, all I did was just step into a warp portal," Reinne replied.

" …It was just a customary comment…" Melanie replied, slightly taken aback.

" Apparently you don't know your Division commander well enough to sense when she's using sarcasm in her sentences…it is truly a pity," Reinne replied, giving an exaggerated sigh. Melanie did her best to not try and roll her eyes.

Melanie had come to terms that Deinnelle wasn't the Division Commander anymore. She had stepped down from her former position she held to pass it on to Reinne Malkenthos, High Priestess of the Holy Order and Princess and Heir to the throne to the Rune-Midguard Kingdom. It wasn't something that she was against or strongly detested, but it was a sort of habit knowing Deinnelle holding that position long enough. It also had to take some getting use to that a princess was here to do chores the usual stereotypical princess wouldn't do.

Reinne had arrived with several escorts following her, which included a number of other priestesses, monks and several crusaders. Melanie saluted at all of them as they came out of the warp portal along with Reinne, and they replied in kind.

" So, what did Commander Aesis make of my report?" Melanie asked.

" Hmm, you mean the one with the acolyte kidnapping incident?" Reinne asked.

" Yes, sir."

" Nothing, I haven't heard any word from him. He did say thank you, but he's been thinking about it lately. I guess he's trying to figure out what this all meant, but he's keeping to himself, that strange bastard. The least he could do is to talk to me," Reinne grumbled slightly, before catching the disheartened look on Melanie's face, and continuing while changing her tone. " Oh, don't take this wrongly, you did well in your mission…"

" …That wasn't what I was…nevermind…" Melanie mused, turning around and walking away.

-

" Aww, come on, why can't you tell me?!" Harken asked excitedly.

Azaroth took his time to reply. He was on the ground, his hands folded behind his head as he rested upon the grassy plain while he purposely dug his ears just for the kicks. " Look, Harken, I have already told you, I'm not supposed to disclose the mission details to you. If you are so eager to know, why don't you ask the top brass? I'm sure Melanie would be very understanding of your plight…"

" I thought asking you would be much more easier…you were never stingy on mission details before…" Harken replied, before narrowing his eyes. " Why the sudden secrecy? Is it because this was the first time you came back beaten this badly?"

" Second actually…you were around first time that happen …" Azaroth mused. " Wait, now that I think about it, it was because you were around that incident happened!"

" Harken, stop bugging the captain already. He's just recently recovered and Melanie's already pushing him for another task. Least you could do would be to shut up for once," the archer scowled at him.

" Aww, geez…" Harken sighed, before someone cuffed him on the back of his neck. " Hey, what's the big idea?!"

" Get lost, kid! The captain would prefer if you didn't bother him too much," the knight said, coming up to Harken.

" What's your damn problem anyway, Vardred!?" Harken scowled. " Besides, don't call me kid! I'm a month older than you anyway!"

" Which speaks two words on your skill with the sword, considering that I'm a knight and you are still a green swordie: you really suck. Perhaps if you were a tiny bit smarter than you really are, you would have figured out by now that was three words," Vardred replied, grinning sheepishly at him.

" Why you?! Let me go, Sandy! I'll kill him!" Harken exclaimed as he drew his sword while the crusader immediately shot up to her feet and grabbed him from behind before he could do anything else. Sandy's grip was strong enough to stop him from moving, and being at least a foot taller than he was, she easily picked him up, and Harken could merely throw his arms and legs all about aimlessly.

" Stop picking on him already, Var," the wizard mumbled.

" I don't see why you have to be so concerned about that kid anyway, Brek…" Vardred replied good-naturedly.

" I'm not, all this noise is disturbing my sleep. If you must know, I was very busy last night, so I'd like some peace and quiet," Brek answered in a heavy voice. Azaroth turned his head to see Brek sitting at the base of a tree with his head down. His thick dreadlocks that fell over his face mostly concealed his expression and his eyes, and it was somewhat hard to tell that he was sleeping.

" You sure have a lively boyfriend, Nirvana," one of the acolytes replied, leaning over towards the archer.

Nirvana gave a loud sigh. " Honestly, I don't really know what I see in him…" Nirvana replied as she watched Harken trying to free himself from Sandy's grasp, his arms and legs flying all over the place as she pouted. " What do you think, Mir?"

The acolyte merely giggled. " Why do you ask me that?" Mir replied.

" So, Captain…" Vardred started.

" You idiots never learn, do you…" Azaroth grumbled.

" So, 'Captain', what were you doing in your last mission anyway? Something that was this serious to get you into such shape?" Vardred continued, despite Harken's continued screaming to Sandy to let him go. " After all, someone of your caliber should not have been defeated easily."

" Var, I'm human after all…" Azaroth replied. " There is a limit to my capabilities."

" You know, they always say that whenever you join the army, each soldier is allotted an amount of luck to be used in the battlefield. The amount of luck you have is dependent on whatever you have done before in your life that results in good karma from your deeds, or it is a blessing from the devil himself," Vardred replied, grinning. " It's not like I doubt that you'll die anytime soon. After all, my six sense tells me that you have yet to use up all your devil's luck."

" Ho, that's good to hear, cos I plan to outlive you anyway," Azaroth replied sarcastically, before sitting up all of a sudden, which surprised everyone. " Harken, would you stop screaming!? Geez! Don't make me pull rank on you to make you shut up! Even Brek's tired, not only me!"

Harken silenced himself, and Sandy released him when he calmed down. " What's up with you anyway? Are you feeling unwell?"

" What?! Me? No, I'm…"

" I wasn't talking to you, loudmouth," Azaroth replied, before turning his head to the other swordsman of the team. " Hey, Remant, you usually shut Harken up before I start yelling. Something wrong with you today?"

The second swordsman seem to jump slightly when Azaroth addressed him, and Azaroth frowned slightly when he noticed his behavior. Remant then decided to look away, and Azaroth wondered what was up when he obviously avoided the question.

" Don't mind Remant, Captain. He's got a couple of things on his mind," his second acolyte answered.

" Fine, Raymel, I'll leave it at that," Azaroth replied, returning to his resting position.

" So, Captain…"

" …Dear God, will this never end…?" Azaroth groaned.

" Where's the Lieutenant?" Vardred asked.

" You mean Vermillion?"

" Of course, I heard she was with you along with this mission, but as far as I gathered, she came back unharmed. However, we haven't been into contact with her lately, and although I know this is a typical behavior of hers, I thought it would be prudent to ask," Vardred continued.

" She's…gone on a very long holiday…" Azaroth replied.

" …You can't be serious…"

" Well, theoretically speaking anyway…" Azaroth replied " Least that was what Melanie told me…"

" Told you what?"

Azaroth leaned upwards to see Melanie standing in front of him with her arms akimbo, while sporting a suspicious and irritated look. Azaroth sat up, wondering what had he said wrong now. Melanie seemed pretty irritated these days, and Azaroth could not help but wonder why.

" Nothing, I was just discussing with Vardred here on where the hell Vermillion had gone to, and since I can't really tell him that without disclosing details of the previous mission, all I said was she took a very long holiday, which in you look at it at face value, is absolutely true," Azaroth said, shrugging his shoulders.

" Your wit never ceases to amaze me…" Melanie replied, although it was in a mocking tone, which told Azaroth she might not be that annoyed as he had imagined.

" Always eager to please…what is it do you want now?" Azaroth asked, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

" Our Commander is here, we will be moving out shortly, so get your platoon in gear. We'll be going in shortly. Brief your men on the details before we are ready to move in, get it?" Melanie replied, before going off, probably to organize her men.

" Brief them? You didn't even tell me enough details!" Azaroth exclaimed, but Melanie apparently wasn't listening. He noticed the rest of his platoon had now gather around him, ready to hear what he had to say. Sighing loudly, he got up, and looked at all of them. " How much of the details do you all know, anyway, before we begin?"

" The fact that there is a problem with the Payon caves, but that's about all," Mir answered.

" Well, apparently, people have been going missing in the caves, so we have been sent out to deal with the problem. So far, we have sensed some sort of foreign dark energy being emitted from within the place, but we are not sure where, or why, or how. Commander Reinne will see to that, and we will be there to escort her as she deals with her task," Azaroth replied. " Got that?"

" That was brief…" Nirvana mused, making a face.

" With Azaroth around, it's always brief…" Vardred laughed out loud.

" Are you insinuating that I'm a lazy bum?" Azaroth asked.

" That's assuming too much, Captain…"

" I'd be insulted if you didn't…"

-

Melanie peered into the entrance of the Payon caves, checking out the dark, deep depths. For an underground cave, it was fairly well lit up. The higher levels had access to cracks along the walls, made by constant exposure to the natural environments, allowing some amount of sunlight to enter the caves upper levels, but some of the creatures in the caves gave out luminescent materials, giving out an eerie glow within the place. Melanie was never the adventurous type, and the only times when she had ever gone into the caves was on official business.

She turned to look at Reinne, who was standing next to her, her eyes closed and her hands stretched out, as if to feel some invisible entity from within. Melanie guess that she was trying to sense whatever dark energy that was escaping from the place, although she cannot be sure. She had always found all the Holy spells priests and priestesses cast endlessly complex and confusing, and this was a High Priestess at work. Some of the spell complexity got her dizzy sometimes when she tried to figure out how they worked. She had to marvel at the mental capabilities and intelligence wizards and priests sometimes need to work out their abilities.

" Hmm…strange…" Reinne mused, opening her eyes after a while.

" Strange?" Melanie asked. It was well known if your Commanding officer mused the word strange upon a situation, it was always something bad.

" There seems to have been a separate dark energy seal being placed inside of the caves, and it is probably causing some disturbance inside of the caves. However, what intrigues me is that someone placed this here, and the only people capable of doing such things would be necromancers…" Reinne replied.

Melanie was suddenly reminded of the smirking, confident looking girl she saw stepping out of a purple warp portal that sent Azaroth out in the middle of the church two years ago. The girl had openly admitted she was a necromancer then.

" Having some ideas?" Reinne asked kindly.

" I believe so," Melanie answered.

" Me too. However, we cannot leave it as it is. If this is some plot of sorts, I guess we will have to investigate what it is," Reinne replied.

" Do really think it is safe to proceed?" Melanie asked.

" With you watching my back, I don't see any reason for pause," Reinne replied.

Melanie turned away when Reinne made that comment, but a sudden exclamation made her turn her head. She saw Azaroth and the rest of his platoon coming in from the distance, and he was waving merrily in her direction.

" You are here? I thought you just recently recovered?" Flick mused when Azaroth came up.

" Ah well, I'd like to comment further upon the topic, but our commander's around," Azaroth replied as he patted Flick on his back while he nodded at Camelia, who was standing nearby. " Azaroth at your service, Reinne."

His remark made a few of the soldiers there gave audible gasps, due to the fact that he dared to address the Princess so directly and casually, and not seemingly bothered about it. Melanie slapped her forehead at his remark, but Reinne didn't seem to care about it one bit.

" It's good to see you as well, Azaroth. I see you are doing fine now," Reinne replied.

" Fine as always…" Azaroth replied, grinning.

" I expect a good telling off from Melanie will be in order when we are finished…" Harken whispered happily.

" I second that," Brek replied.

-

" Oh, wow, Sohees! Look, they are over there!" Harken exclaimed excitedly as they saw several dark, glowing red eyes illuminating the far side of the dank, darker parts of the caves, belonging to the water demons that dwell in the area. Harken was eager to get a closer look, and was edging towards the crowd of Sohees gathered together, trying to look intimidating while looking intimidated themselves.

" Geez, don't you know it's dangerous to bother them, you moron?! Get back here while you are still in one piece!" Nirvana exclaimed loudly, running up to her boyfriend.

They had split up into three groups: Azaroth, Flick and Camelia's platoons respectively, with Reinne and her escort plus Melanie following Camelia's group. Looking off towards the other side of the caves he could see two distinct white glows, indicating where the other two groups were. Raymel and Mir had their hands held out, glowing white light being projected by their Holy spell to light up the area around them. Varken himself was carrying a metal lantern, but it was almost unnecessary with the illuminescent glow the cave's interior and his acolytes spell. Brek was looking bored as usual, while Sandy kept to herself, looking her and there.

" Relax, I hear that they don't bite back unless you bite them first," Harken exclaimed.

" Still, they seem kind of weird," Vardred replied.

" Hmm, why is that?" Azaroth asked.

" I forgot, despite your wayward wild life, you rarely traveled much before joining the army. I do a lot of traveling in my free time, and Payon caves is one of the places. As far as I am concerned, the Sohees are acting a little strangely," Vardred replied, looking a little concerned.

" Oh?" Azaroth mused, thinking about Crystal all of a sudden, being the first Sohee he had met in person, so his idea of a Sohee might be a little different since she was fairly domesticated and humanised. " What so odd about them?"

" Sohees do live in small communities, but they usually wander around the caves aimlessly, or at least that is my opinion when I see them. They usually don't bother anyone unless attacked. However, it is rare to see them huddling together, as if for protection, and keeping an eye out for us. They are fairly capable monsters in their own right, having the strength to rip out the spine of a man, given the chance. I doubt 7 of them are just afraid of Harken, a lone swordman," Vardred replied.

Azaroth assumed he was correct in that statement. If so, perhaps there had been some change to the caves. He took the lantern from Vardred and walked up the the Sohees.

There was an almost immediate reaction. All of the Sohees backed up, and made funny noises under their breath as if they were hissing at him somehow. Harken was another thing, but Azaroth's presence seem to rile them up somewhat, and Azaroth could sense their hostility somewhat. He shined the lantern at them, the light reflecting off their white, moon-like face, hidden mainly by dark bangs of their hairs.

He frown when he managed to get a better look at them with the lantern. It wasn't obvious, but he spotted two of them having long scars running across their faces as they glared back at him.

" Let's not bother them," Azaroth replied, handing the lantern back to Vardred and patting Harken on his back to signal him to not bother them any further. _Those scars? Did someone attack them?_

_-  
_

Reinne ran her hands along the side of the cave walls. She had been sensing this strange lingering trace of dark magic around the place, even thought she can't seem to pinpoint the location. The signal was either very diluted, or it wasn't coming from anything relatively strong. The rest of her division members were scattered around the area. All they could do was confirm something was odd in this place, nothing more.

" What do you think of this place, Melanie?" Reinne asked in an offhanded manner.

" The analytical stuff should be done by you, not me. I'm just a mere crusader," Melanie replied, her arms folded as she surveyed the area.

" I'm just asking if you think that there is anything odd with this area," Reinne replied kindly.

" The only thing odd about this place is that three of my platoons are here, that's what," Melanie replied.

" Ah, always looking at things you can only visibly see," Reinne chided.

" Oi!"

Everyone within the vicinity turned around to see one of the crusader's from Flick's team waving to the rest of them, trying to get their attention. Wondering what was up, Melanie headed up towards where the crusader stood as he lead them inside the depths of the caves.

" Yo, what do you make of this?" Flick asked, crouching over whatever he had found.

Reinne and Melanie wasn't sure what to make of Flick's find. Right where he was squatting himself. He was situated at the edge of what could be seen as a large, red circle. The circle spanned in a large diameter, spreading across the room. It cold only be described as a very large seal, having intricate signs and symbols drawn all over the place, using some form of language nobody seemed familiar with. The unknown seal was glowing an eerie red, and somehow, Melanie could feel some odd energy being projected by this seal.

" What...is this?" Camelia asked, stepping up towards the seal.

" Wouldn't you like to know?" a dark, booming voice replied.

Melanie spun around in a second, her sword drawn out in an instant, and the rest of them within the vicinity followed suit. Her eyes darted about here and there, trying to find the source of the voice. " Show yourself! Where the hell are you?!" Melanie yelled.

" Over there!" one of the priestesses yelled.

All of them turned towards where the priestess was pointing towards. Several meters from where they were stood a dark, massive being with a skeletal look. The humanoid figure was floating above the ground, and the place under his feet seem to glow slightly. He was cloaked in a torn, jet black robe, with dark, organic tubes running across its naked dark green body. Two massive skulls were mounted on its shoulders, their eye sockets glowing with a gaze that could kill. Almost nobody here had seen him in person, but they would all recognise the Dark Lord when they saw one.

" What...what the...hell...?" Camelia gasped, her eyes widening in fright as she saw the undead behemoth floating right in front of them. Some of the knights and crusaders were backing up slowly, and the rest of them were trying to form a circle of protection.

" Stay steady!" Melanie bellowed, stepping up towards the front, her sword and shield proudly drawn. " We have an advantage in numbers, and it is hardly possible for a lone Dark Lord to take on all of us at once."

" Well said, little girl, but I...unfortunately, am not alone..." the Dark Lord replied, before breaking out in a cackle of laughter.

-

" What the heck was that?" Harken asked.

Everyone in Azaroth's platoon gave pause at the sound of a dark, high-pitched laughter that ran all around the caves, the sound rebounding off the walls, echoing noisily all around the place. Azaroth paused as the laughter died down. He expected something bad of sorts to happen during their search, but certainly evil laughter wasn't something particular on his list of weird encounters.

" Whatever it was, it didn't sound right?" Vardred replied. " Captain, shall we investigate?"

" Certainly..." Azaroth replied " ...After we deal with this newcomer, that is..."

Vardred turned his head around to where Azaroth was looking, only to make a glimpse of an outline of someone raising his hands above his head, his broadsword threatening to drop down upon their heads.

_Author's notes: I won't be updating after this for a couple of weeks or so, co I'll be busy._


	27. Chapter 26: Infinity Cross

**Chapter 26: Infinity Cross**

All around them, Melanie could see more and more monsters appear from all corners of the caves. Zombies shuffled their feet as they edged in closer and closer towards the group of humans who had their weapons drawn and ready, grouping in a small circle for protection. Wraiths started to float out from behind the swarm of zombies surrounding them, their skulls seemingly crackling with laughter. Raydrics joined in their ranks, and Melanie managed to spot a couple of Evil Druids hovering right behind the entire crowd despite the dim and noise they were making.

" This is madness! Where the hell did all these monsters come from?!" one of the hunters exclaimed, drawing two arrows and arming them on his bow before taking aim.

" Stay calm you morons!" Melanie exclaimed, pushing her way forward. " Knights and crusaders to the front. Magic users to the back, and surround Commander Reinne. The rest of you, pick a partner and stick together. It's just a bunch of them, we'll just hold our ground until they wear out."

Despite sounding confident, Melanie knew the odds were against them. They were all surrounded right now, and even if they did manage to hold out long enough, it would still mean that they will have to take severe losses on their part, there was no mistake about it. She gripped her sword tightly as she glared at the undead monster in front of them, its decayed jaw hanging loose from its joint, the mouth gaping towards her.

The Dark Lord started to laugh maniacally all of a sudden, his loud, crackling voice echoing throughout the caves, making all the humans turn to him for a second. " This is most lovely. It's a pity I cannot stay and watch, but then again, I guess I can savour the joy of knowing all of you will die here," the Dark Lord replied, before turning his back on them. " Princess Reinne's death shall be a great stepping stone for our campaign..."

_What!?_ Melanie thought out loud. _They are after the princess?!_

She wasn't given much time to think. The undead in front of her took a large step, raising its arms to grab on to her. She drew her hand back, before bringing it down hard onto it's skull, dropping it to the floor with one hit, the signal for the start of the conflict as the undead started to swarm upon the small group of humans.

-

Sandy and Vardred leaped backwards as the massive broadsword crashed down right next to them, the force of the impact carving a scar on the solid surface on the cave floor. Azaroth's hand immediately flew towards the hilt of his Tsurugi, and his sword was out within the next second, the blade flashing right upon the attacker. The man instantly brought up his broadsword, knocking Azaroth's Tsurugi upwards, leaving him vulnerable, not before thrusting his sword forward.

_This speed is insane...how can he attack and recover so fast with such a heavy weapon?! _Azaroth thought to himself.

Using his free hand, he pulled out his Haedonggum to block the strike to his chest. Azaroth gritted his teeth as he felt the impact of the blade hit his sword, slamming against his chest, miraculously avoiding being cut by his own sword, as he was knocked backwards unceremoniously only to crash into Harken.

Vardred whipped out his sword, and Sandy moved up to flank him from the left while Vardred took the right. The man looked at them in a bored fashion, before thrusting his sword in Vardred's direction. Vardred immediately ducked, the sword missing his head by inches. Sandy swung her sword to his face, before he spun around all of a sudden, before launching a kick right at her abdomen, knocking her several feet backwards. He didn't stop his momentum though, and another half spin brought him back to face Vardred, and he punched him in the face, his gauntlets feeling like a hammer blow to Vardred's face.

A sizzling sound whipped around in the air around them, and Azaroth saw something bright red fly past his head. Several firebolts smashed into the man's face, blasting flames all over him. As the flames died down, Azaroth managed to get a good look at this person who attacked them all of a sudden.

If anything, he looked like a kid. He had this young, boyish look, and Azaroth wagered he can't be older than 20. He had this rather unusual tan on his skin, although he didn't look Morrocan in anyway. He had short lustrous black hair, although Azaroth couldn't really be sure with the lack of light in the area. He thought it was a mistake on his part, but the broadsword was apparently made of some dark material, for he could see the blade was coloured almost pitch black, only visible because it shined like marble. He was dressed in some kind of a knight suit, but unlike the usual ones the knights of Prontera wear, especially with strange circular motifs drawn all over his suit. As the fire died down, they could observe that he was relatively unharmed by the attack, and he merely scratched the spot on his face where he had been hit by the spell, being charred a little bit.

" Impossible..." Brek gasped, seeing that his spell was ineffective.

" You know, I always knew you Midguard shitheads are a pathetic bunch...but this is really just too much..." the dark knight replied in a very bored voice. " Then again, I guess I can just pass the time by killing the whole lot of you anyway..."

Azaroth's eyes widened in surprise as the knight leaped at him, bringing his broadsword up high above his head. Noticing Harken being too transfixed upon the sight of the knight dropping down upon him, Azaroth grabbed him by the shoulder and shoved him aside, before barely rolling aside as the massive sword struck the ground where he stood just a split second ago. He then brought his sword back up in a swing, aiming for Harken's head. The blade merely passed his head as he dropped and rolled aside, before swinging it around to meet with Azaroth's Tsurugi.

" Ho...not bad..." he replied in a slightly amused manner.

Azaroth's eyes widened in surprise when he suddenly drew his arms back, then swung the large weapon towards him, one-handed. Azaroth ducked in an instant to dodge the attack, only to see the sword swing right back at him. His legs sprung into action, and a split second later, he found himself up in the air. The dark knight gave a laugh, then swung his sword back at Azaroth again. Azaroth blocked the strike with his weapons, but with no support in mid-air, he felt the broadsword crash into him and sent him smashing down hard on the ground.

A dull thunk made Azaroth turn and look at what was going on, despite dizzy after being hit. An arrow lay near the feet of the dark knight, who looked at Nirvana in a bored fashion, having fired the shot, although she seemed to look terrified when he looked directly at her.

" Nice try, but..."

All of a sudden, a bright white cross appeared right above the dark knights head, sending down showers of sparkling dust upon him. Turning to the two acolytes, he spotted them raising their hands at him, just before a bright spark of light was emitted from their hands, slamming hard into his chest. There was a loud, burning sound, and Azaroth could smell the stench of burnt flesh as the dark knight was tossed several feet back before dropping to the floor.

" Ow..." the dark knight replied, although in a tone that suggested that their Holy spells merely scratched him only. He got back up to his feet in no time, twisting and cracking his neck as if he had just gotten an invigorating massage.

" This is unbelievable..." Vardred groaned.

Within a split second, he instantly ran towards the two acolytes. Harken and Remant immediately stood in his way to block his advance, but they were about as useful as a couple of cardboard boxes in blocking his advance. He swung his sword madly around, and knocked Harken aside, while punching Remant in the face to blow him away, before raising his broadsword at the two acolytes.

Raymel grabbed Mir and pushed her aside just before the massive weapons crashed down upon her head, giving a cry of surprise just as the blade smashed down upon the spot where she previously stood. Having missed his mark, he turned his attention back to the other acolyte, only to have his sword parried by Sandy's own. He then punched her in retaliation, and she raised her shield up to block the attack, but the amount of strength he emitted through the punch made her skid backwards a couple of feet.

_Not surprising...he can even swung that crazy weapon using one hand only..._ Azaroth thought as he got to his feet.

Despite being ineffective, Brek continued to fire bolt after bolt of fire at the dark knight, which smashed into his armoured body harmlessly, and he looked mildly irritated as if someone was pelting him with snowballs. Raymel backed off quickly, trying to place as much distance between herself and the fiend. However, the dark knight pounced upon her, after knocking Vardred aside who tried to stop him with a quick swipe of his sword, and he leaped up high, his broadsword aimed to pierce her chest. As Raymel tentatively stole a glance behind her as she was running away, she caught the sight of a large silhouette descending upon her, like an angel of death about to deal the death blow upon her.

-

Melanie gave a guttural war cry as she brought her sword down upon a zombie's head, the decayed skull no match for the sharpened edge of the blade as it carved itself into the monsters skull. The undead being gave a howl, unlikely due to pain since undead monsters generally do not feel pain from physical blows, before attempting to reach out to claw at Melanie with whatever strength it had left, despite having its brains destroyed. She yanked out her sword, sending bits and pieces of its brain and black blood showering all over her armour, before hacking its head twice, shattering it to bits as it finally harmlessly dropped to the floor, before wiping bits and pieces of smelly flesh off her face before going off to meet her next opponent.

She brought her shield right up as one of the Wraiths engaged her, its bony hand gripping her shield with an unnatural strength. She whipped her sword at the undead creature, but it merely grabbed hold of her blade with the massive jaws on its chest and held it tight. Melanie muttered a prayer under her breath, and all of a sudden, her sword glowed slightly. She yanked her sword free, not before breaking off a few of its teeth, before sinking her sword back into the depths of its mouth.

It then grabbed hold of her outstretched arm, and Melanie suddenly felt her strength leaving her arm as the monster started to suck the life force out of her. Desperately, she started to twist and turn her sword arm, hoping to crush its innards quickly before it did any further damage to her arm. She felt it's grip weaken, before it stopped hovering in the air and collapsed in a messy, bloody heap right in front of Melanie.

Melanie did a quick look at their surroundings. The rest of them were desperately doing their best to hold the line. Most of the priests and priestesses were backing up the knights and crusaders, casting their supportive and healing spells when needed as their swords clashed against their undying undead foe, a couple of them having already fallen. One of the monks yelled in pain as he was suddenly grabbed from behind by one of the zombie, and having another rip his throat with its jaws.

Melanie immediately bounded towards the unfortunate soldier, and slashed and hacked her way through the mess, knocking the zombies aside as she caught the falling monk. Pulling the bleeding and delirious monk back, a couple of priests rushed to his aid, their hands already glowing with their healing magic.

" Don't...bother about me...I'm fine..." the monk groaned, gripping her hand hard.

" Shut your mouth before you bite your tongue loose! I'll take your place!" she replied, getting to her feet and charging towards the nearest undead she could see.

Some of the crusaders gave several cries of surprise when a sudden dark fog shot out towards them, scattering them as if knocked back by some invisible force, a spell compliments from an Evil Druid, allowing some of the undead swarm to break through their tight circle. Melanie changed her course and headed toward the gap, aiming for the Evil Druid. The undead monster turned towards the crusader that was rushing towards its position, the pages of its dirty levitating book flipped even more frantically as she approached. Dark spheres started to materialise all around the monster, not before shooting themselves towards Melanie. She tried to avoid them, but she wasn't quick enough. A couple of them hit her shield and legs, and she cried out in pain as they seem to send the sensation of a thousand needles upon the place where they struck.

Just as the Evil Druid was about to make its next move, Melanie was suddenly blinded by a flash of bright light, and she was forced to close her eyes as it hurt even to look. She wasn't sure what was happening, but she felt a euphoric rush of magical energy all around her. When the light died down, she opened her eyes slightly. The area in front of here was void of undead beings, even the Evil Druid. Not even their remains stayed behind, as if they had merely evaporated into thin air.

" Are you alright?" a concerned voice asked, before she felt a hand being placed on her shoulders.

" I'm fine," Melanie replied as she attempted to stand. The Evil Druid's spell had taken its toll. The spheres that had attached themselves previously on her shield and leg had caused her shield arm and right leg to bleed rather profoundly until she found that she had some difficulty staying steady.

" Grant me a second..." Princess Reinne replied, tapping her shoulder.

Within the next second, Melanie felt her wounds seal up, and the pain subsiding from her body. Although it was far from being fresh and ready before the beginning of the skirmish, she was now almost completely patched up. Melanie had always heard of how 'legendary' Princess Reinne's healing abilities were, but this was almost beyond normal. Most healers would need a couple of seconds to treat such an injury, and this usually involved focusing an amount of Holy powers upon the inflicted area. They way Princess Reinne did it was as if she merely rubbed off some of her essence by just touching her lightly. Melanie sometimes felt it was strange that a person with such capabilities had royal blood.

_I guess it's so totally wrong to think in stereotypes..._ Melanie thought as she prepared herself to face the swarm of undead that now took the place that Princess Reinne had taken care off.

" This is hardly fair...our troops cannot hold out forever..." Reinne sighed as she surveyed the surroundings.

" Indeed, I thought we might be able to hold them back, but it seems two platoons aren't enough to keep them at bay," Melanie replied, rushing forward to cleanly strike off one of the zombie's head, the headless being continuing to wander aimlessly without its head.

" That wasn't what I was talking about," Reinne replied, blasting Holy spells out of her finger tips.

" Huh?"

" Our troops have been doing splendidly well, as they have reduced their initial numbers by half. What I don't get is that our opponents numbers seem to be expanding nevertheless...it is as if they are somehow appearing out of thin air from some point..." Reinne mused.

Melanie wasn't sure about that. She had been too busy killing off the undead monsters for some time now to think about whether there were too many of them or not. She did a quick survey, and noticed that their numbers seem to stay the same despite their resistance. Or was this some trick Reinne's words were pulling on her mind?

" Perhaps it is cause by this odd seal on the ground..." Reinne mused.

Indeed, why was this strange red glowing seal placed on the floor in the middle of the Payon caves anyway? Melanie wasn't sure whether to start worrying or not as Reinne was staring at the seal with a blank look on her face, not bothering about her surroundings.

" Commander, I order you to buy me 5 minutes. I shall see what I can do with this thing they have placed here," Reinne said after a while as she walked back to the middle of the glowing seal, which seemed to glow even harder when she walked closer to the middle of it.

-

" No! Remant!" Raymel screamed in terror.

At the final moments before the dark knight landed on Raymel, Remant pushed her out of the way to save her. He tried to raise his sword to block the dark knight's broadsword from landing directly on him, but his efforts were futile as the broadsword pierced his chest, shooting out through his back. Remant looked down at the blade that was now sticking out of his chest, with a look of utter disbelief. His sword clattered down on the stone floor noisily as his strength left his hands and he released his grip on his weapon. He tried feebly to remove the sword from his chest, but without any avail.

" Pfft...I missed..." the dark knight said as he pulled his sword free. Remant gasped as he coughed out blood violently as he dropped to the ground, the look of shock never leaving his face. Raymel immediately rushed up to him, not bothered that she was closing the distance between herself and the dark knight as she grab hold of Remants unmoving body, while tears continued to run like a stream down her face. " Ah well, it's not like I cannot try again..." he replied as he raised his sword.

" Heads up, prick!"

The dark knight spun around, but Azaroth slammed down both his swords upon his to prevent him from building enough momentum to strike back at him. Azaroth suddenly pulled his leg up, and executed an upper kick to the chin. Totally taken aback by his attack, Azaroth's foot slammed hard on the underside of his chin, knocking the dark knight a good few feet back.

" All of you, get the hell out of here now!" Azaroth bellowed.

" You can't seriously tell me you are going to take him on alone!" Vardred exclaimed.

" I..."

" That was rhetorical!"

Vardred ran up towards Remants fallen body and picked him up, prying him away from Raymel's grief stricken fingers. Brek rushed up to her and pulled her up, Raymel not giving too much resistance. The rest of them started to run off, Harken looking back once in a while.

" Go, I'll be fine..." Azaroth replied. Harken merely shot a worried look, before following the rest of them as they ran away.

" What's this? Playing the hero all of a sudden, are we Azaroth?" the dark knight asked, rubbing his chin.

" I find it tiring that everyone seems to know who the hell I am," Azaroth replied, raising his swords. " Who the hell are you? And what the heck are you trying to achieve here?!"

" Nothing much..." the dark knight replied. " Well, since you are getting serious with me for stabbing your pathetic little teammate, I guess I should return the favour in equal value, shall I not? Dirge, say hi."

" Well, hello there..." a light, tense voice replied next to Azaroth.

Azaroth spun around in alarm, not aware that there was someone else within the vicinity. However, as he looked all around with a tense expression on his face, he was unable to spot anything out of the ordinary. Nobody else was around, or as far as his eyes could see. There was enough light to go around, and Vardred's lantern which he had left on the ground either purposely or in a hurry, was roughly more than enough to spot anyone within the area. The fact that it didn't echo meant the voice didn't come from far away.

" Silly boy, 'this' is Dirge," the dark knight replied, raising his broadsword.

Azaroth's eyes widened in fear and astonishment as he caught sight of the dark knights broadsword. Right at the spot where the hilt joined the blade was this eerie looking eyeball looking at him, the iris focused at him, seemingly pulsating while it glared right towards him. It looked sickly and dangerous, despite just being some crummy eyeball stuck to a broadsword. When the shock had passed him, he noticed that the dark knight's broadsword was now had this strange metallic sheen.

" Yes, hello..." the light, tense voice replied again, this time Azaroth could hear it coming from the sword itself.

_You have got to be shitting me!_

The dark knight leaped at Azaroth, with his sword drawn back, ready for the kill. Azaroth leaped backwards as he swung his sword, but it wasn't quick enough to avoid it entirely, so he brought up his Haedonggum to parry to blow.

Only thing was when their swords made contact Azaroth couldn't feel the impact.

" What!?"

The broadsword whipped past him, drawing a shallow cut on his chest as he hopped back after the attack, wincing after he felt the cut starting to sting. However, his attention was brought towards his Haedonggum. The blade of the sword had been cut neatly in two, and the broken piece stuck out from the ground not too far away, severed from its joint. Azaroth could not believe what he was seeing. First, he meets someone who has enough strength to wield a broadsword one-handed, not to mention his weapon was sentient, and has the ability to slice through metal as if it was butter.

" Foolish human, only a Reverent can parry a Reverent," the dark knight said. " Aron's the name, since you are interested, and pray, please do not disappoint."

-

" Hold the damn line! Princess Reinne only needs a couple more minutes!" Melanie bellowed as she smashed her shield into one of the Raydrics, sending pieces of its animated armour all over the place. Several zombies latched their arms upon her, but she valiantly shook them off, pushing off their smelly bony hands off her shield.

Melanie took a quick look at Reinne. The princess was now kneeling in the middle of the strangely placed seal, her eyes closed and seemingly in prayer. Melanie had absolutely no idea what Reinne had in mind, or what she was doing. She could only make theories and assumptions, like assuming that she was somehow dealing with this dark seal placed on the ground, although she wasn't too sure. Despite that, she had been ordered to give her time, and Melanie just did the best she could.

Two crusaders staggered backwards the zombies clawed against their armour plates while tearing their jaws at their necks. As they fell back against the on-coming swarm of the undead horde, one of the priests managed to finish a Magnus Exorcismus spell, the sudden blast of massive spiritual and Holy energy evaporating the zombies in their tracks. It was too late for the two crusaders, however, as Melanie gave a fleeting glance at their mangled, bloody remains.

" Damn it all…" Melanie gritted under her teeth as another horrified scream rang in the air, the voice echoing like a banshee's cry within the cave walls as another person fell victim. Melanie stepped forward and slammed her shield into the nearest undead monster, sending it crashing back. She drew her sword arm back, massing her powers into the blade. Crusaders and Paladins were thought how to channel their Holy properties into the tip of their blades, so that they would be more deadly and fearsome to their dark foes, but Melanie always figured that term was oxymoronic. After all, how would you strike fear in a dead thing anyway?

When it reached its peak, she could feel her sword reverberating violently within her grasp, as if it somehow intended on bursting from being filled with so much power. She bashed her shield upon the face of one of the Wraiths to clear some space by sending it reeling backwards, before she slammed her sword upon the hard ground. As soon as he sword hit, it seemingly exploded in an incandescent flash of blinding, white light. The Holy spell shot out in all directions, tearing multiple holes in whatever undead that stood within her path or surrounding her. Heaps of undead monsters collapsed all around her, their skin flayed and sizzling from the Grand Cross attack, and most of them having half their bodies torn apart.

Melanie staggered back, having now brought some breathing space. She felt herself bump into someone, and spinning around in alarm, spotted Camelia with her back against hers.

" Looks like we are really screwed this time around, Melanie," Camelia replied, unable to resist a chuckled despite the circumstances.

" Is this anytime for laughs?" Melanie sighed.

" Hey, if I am to die, least I die happy," Camelia replied.

Their numbers from two platoons have been cut down to a small group consisting of Melanie, Camelia, Flick, 4 other members from the platoons and two priestesses who had served as Reinne's escorts, along with Reinne herself. Still the undead swarm showed no sign of stopping, and Reinne showed no sign of doing anything soon, since she was just kneeling at the spot, still praying. If she was about to do anything remotely useful, now would be an extremely good time.

" Geez, is this the end?" a female swordswoman mused.

" Don't give up yet! You've made it this far! Just hold on for about another minute!" Melanie exclaimed.

" Watch out!"

Melanie raised her head only to see a massive shadow fly past her. Something hit her, and whatever it was it hit her hard. She gave a sharp gasp of pain as she was slammed on the ground forcefully, her head going in a spin as she felt the impact of her body hit against the ground floor. She turned herself over, trying to make out what had happened. It took her a while to notice one of the Wraiths had attacked her and was now floating towards its intended target that was behind her: Reinne.

" Commander! Commander, watch out!" Melanie yelled, her voice sounding hoarse. Reinne didn't flinch or react towards her cries. Perhaps she didn't hear her, or could not. The Wraith hovered closer and closer, and it seemed like it was laughing somehow. Camelia was too occupied to help. Flick noticed the abomination floating closer towards his commander, but as he turned around a whole heap of undead zombies leaped on him and piled up on top of him as he fell.

Flick tried to crawl out of the massive pile of undead, but they weighed him down like lead plates. He could feel their hard, bony hands creep along his back. He caught sight of one of them right behind him, its jaws opening, and the putrid, rotten stench of decay and death came out like an obnoxious gas.

He closed his eye tightly as it reeled back its hand to strike, but something went sweeping past his neck, and something rolled off his back, a rotten, decayed skull.

" This is pathetic, you know, me watching you back!" Camelia yelled, hacking through the undead mess.

" Shit, you nicked my neck!" Flick realised when he crawled out of the pile of zombies as Camelia sliced them up nicely with her two-handed sword.

" Is that all you can say after what I've done?!" Camelie demanded.

" Wait, you are distracting me! I've almost forgotten what I was supposed to do!" Flick declared, running past her.

Melanie drew her sword arm back and flung her sword forward. The Wraith seemed to know what she was doing, and floated aside just as her sword flew past it's head, missing it completely as her sword clattered noisily several meters away. Flick took the opportunity to throw his sword as well, knowing very well neither he nor Melanie could close the distance close enough to intercept the Wraith before it reach Reinne. The two-handed sword struck true, sinking deep into the monster's back, it's wound spurting out black blood and guts as it hit.

" Bullseye!" Flick gave an excited yelled.

" You still didn't stop it, moron!" Camelia yelled, gritting her teeth as she attempted to push back the swarm of zombies closing around them, before a sudden spell from an Evil Druid hit her legs and caused her to fall while screaming loudly in agony.

The Wraith drew both its arms backwards, then like sharpened ends of spearheads, drove them into Reinne's chest. Reinne didn't flinch or utter a word, but perhaps a barely audible gasp, before blood started to drip out from the corners of her mouth. Melanie watched, shell-shocked as the Wraith stabbed her while making moaning noises, either in delight from hitting its intended target, or for the large sword that was sticking through it's chest. Dark red spots started to form around the area where she had been pierced, growing wider and wider.

Reinne opened her eyes a few seconds later, seemingly not bothered that there was a Wraith right in front of her with it's arms inside of her chest. " Melanie, I did say 5 minutes. Was that a bit too much to ask for?" Reinne asked jokingly, before coughing out a little blood.

" Commander!" Melanie exclaimed, rushing up towards her.

Melanie didn't get to reach her. Reinne dropped her arms and touched the ground. A sudden rush of wind blew across the area, with such ferocity that Melanie was brought off her feet and thrown several feet backwards. The last thing she remembered was blood curling screams before she lost consciousness altogether.


	28. Chapter 27: Traitors in Payon

**Chapter 27: Traitors in Payon**

Azaroth continued to skip backwards, avoiding the wild, mad swings Aron kept swinging at him. Azaroth wasn't sure how the significance of the sword 'opening' its eye would help, but now Aron had the ability to slice through metal, so he didn't really want to try. Without any means to defend himself, he was forced to continuously dodge his blows. Aron was laughing, giggling more like, as he continued to swing his broadsword, Dirge, completely at random at Azaroth.

" What's this?! What's this?! What's this?! What's this!?" Aron scream gleefully. " I thought you wanted to fight me. Fight, don't run, human!"

" Aron, you are just running wild. What kind of fighting is this?!" Dirge spoke, the voice somehow sounding metallic and hollow.

" I'm giving him a handicap, Dirge. It's no fun if I cut him up in two seconds," Aron replied.

" I see..."

Azaroth wasn't too sure what the sword actually understood from it, and he was a bit confused at what exactly was going on at the moment. There was this strange person who popped out of nowhere and attacked his platoon all of a sudden, and was now hell bent to kill him. He did figure something out: from the way he moved, his strength and the way he kept addressing the rest of them as 'humans' probably indicated he wasn't human himself, even if he did look like a regular bloke.

_Moron, that's already a given!_

Azaroth suddenly placed his foot upon a slippery surface, and he lost his balance instantly. He gave a short gasp of surprise as he hit the floor, feeling a bit dizzy. As soon as he got his bearings, he immediately spotted Aron leaping right over him, his broadsword raised over his head as he came jumping down upon him.

Azaroth rolled aside just as Aron came crashing down on him. He didn't hear the sound of his blade hit the floor, no resounding crash, no cracked floors due to the impact of a heavy piece of equipment on the ground. The blade merely went through the solid ground floor as if it was cleaving through butter. Azaroth's eyes were fixed on the blade that had sunk into the ground, cleaving through rock as if it was nothing. Aron slowly got up and pulled his blade along with him as he stood up.

" Damn, missed again. I thought I had that one for the win," Aron muttered.

" Apparently..." Dirge replied.

" Don't mock me..." Aron snarled.

" I was merely repeating what you said..." Dirge argued.

Something exploded, or it felt like it did. All of a sudden, there was a sudden blast of wind within the cave, followed by a flash of light. Despite feeling like an explosion, it carried no sound. Even the wind itself didn't make any noise as it passed through the area. Whatever it was, it lasted only a while, and soon enough, it died down.

" Hmm, what was that?" Aron mused.

" Watch out!" Dirge exclaimed.

Aron spun around, only to see Azaroth having moved several feet away from where he originally was, in a crouching position, and his sword arm behind him, his sword held behind his back. Aron merely caught a glance, before Azaroth whipped his sword right in front of himself. Aron felt a rush of wind pass him, before feeling a sting in his arm.

" What?!"

Azaroth's Last Strike managed to hit the joint between his forearm and upper arm, the slice tearing his muscles. Aron seemed to lose his strength, and he dropped his sword to the ground. Vaguely surprised, he immediately reached for his sword with his other hand, but Azaroth came right up towards him, and whipped his sword right at Aron's face. Aron leaped back, but when he did that, Azaroth threw another flying slash, and this time it struck his left arm, rending it useless as well.

" Ho...so you disabled both my arms..." Aron replied.

" That was my plan. Without your sword, I hardly see you as a threat," Azaroth replied, raising his bloodstained sword at Aron's face. His blood was surprisingly red. Azaroth figured since if he was some sort of being that wasn't human, perhaps his blood would be different.

" This is surprising. From the way you attacked me with the peculiar skill of yours, it seemed that you have a fairly good aim. Why didn't you aim for my chest, or somewhere more vital, than my arms?" Aron asked.

" With that amount of strength, I can hardly consider you human. Besides, my strikes are capable of severing of limbs. Considering that your arms are still in one piece, I doubt hitting you squarely in the chest would do too much of a difference. I decided to deal with my main threat: your weapon," Azaroth replied. " Besides, you still sound overconfident..."

" Not really, just impressed at the amount of brains you have..." Aron laughed. He instantly shot up and ran off in an unspecified direction. Azaroth wanted to run after him, but he paused when he remembered he had his platoon to attend to, and to check on Melanie and Princess Reinne. As he kept his sword, he noticed that Aron's broadsword which he had dropped had disappeared into thin air all of a sudden, gone from the place.

_What the hell are we facing here?_

_-  
_

First thing Melanie felt when she came to was a made rush to the head, as if she suddenly went on a high or something, which caused her to have a tremendous headache. As she groaned due to the pain, she slowly got up and took deep breaths, calming her pain slightly. She wasn't sure what happened, but only that she was hit by some mass of extremely bright, white light.

She took a look around her. Apparently everyone else had been knocked out flat by the blast. Camelia laid in a crumpled heap, and a few feet away Flick was sprawled out on the ground, his hands and feet all over the place. The rest of the remaining surviving members of their platoons were all over the place, seemingly unconscious but nevertheless, still alive as Melanie could still see that they were breathing. It took her a while before she finally turned her attention to Reinne.

Princess Reinne was lying in a crumpled heap in a pool of her own blood. Melanie was curtly reminded of the undead monster that managed to stab her just before she finished her spell, whatever that spell was. Melanie picked herself up, her body feeling heavy somehow, but she forced herself to her feet, unsteady at first as she hobbled over towards Reinne.

Her crimson white attire was soaked in her own blood, and she was barely alive, breathing ever so slowly and shallowly. There was a puncture wound in the middle of her chest, where all her blood was seeping out from. However, upon closer inspection, Melanie noticed that her injuries were healing at an accelerated rate, the wound getting smaller and smaller by each passing second. Melanie was quite astounded that Reinne still managed to pull off a self-healing spell despite the situation. Melanie did the only thin she could think of at the moment: pressing the palm of her hand on the wound and healing it with her powers. Crusaders were not specifically trained to heal wounds, but they can still utilize healing spells if necessary, albeit less effective than other Holy magic users.

" Ouch…what just happened?" Melanie heard Flick's voice echo around the place, groaning loudly.

The rest of them started to wake up, some of them slowly while others getting their bearings much quicker. All the undead monsters were gone, not even a trace of them was left. No mangle corpse, no decaying smell, not a trace. It was as if they were never there before. Melanie wasn't sure what Reinne did, but she somehow managed to get rid of all the undead and dark monsters in the vicinity in a flash. Incidentally, the odd red glowing seal on the floor was now missing.

_This just doesn't seem physically possible…_

" Hey, where did all the undead go?" Flick asked.

" Forget the damn undead, Reinne's seriously wounded!" Melanie exclaimed.

Some of the remaining priests go up to Melanie's side and took over taking care of Reinne's well-being. The rest of the soldiers got up slowly, retrieving their weapons and equipment. Melanie broke away from Reinne and surveyed the area. Only nine of them remained, the rest either too injured to get back up or dead. They had a fine stroke of luck when Reinne casted that spell, but she didn't like to linger around the place.

" Alright, to the rest of you who can still move, get up and get our wounded comrades to one side so we can treat them. We can't carry the dead back in this situation, so we will be forced to leave them here. Flick, get up and around, check the perimeter for anything suspicious, least any of these undead scum make a comeback," Melanie ordered, before turning to the two remaining priest and priestess, who were tending to Reinne. " How's is her situation?" Melanie asked.

" She's been seriously wounded, but I think she'll make it somehow…" the priestess replied.

" Good, once you've stabilized her condition, I want you to immediately tend to the rest of our injured comrades, so we can get out of here immediately," Melanie replied.

" But, we…"

" First and foremost, Reinne is a soldier of Rune-Midguard. I highly think she would be displeased if you gave her too much attention when it isn't necessary. Tend to the rest of the troops when you are done," Melanie rebuked.

The priest looked hesitant, but the priestess nodded her head to signify that she understood. She then headed off towards the surrounding area, trying to find any surviving members of her squadron, when someone from a distance suddenly called out to them.

" Would this be a bad time to ask what the hell just happened here?!" Azaroth called out.

-

" You were occupied by some maniac who was wielding a broadsword one-handed, who had the ability to cut through absolutely anything, and you only barely managed to shake him off, which caused you to be late in coming to our aid?" Melanie repeated herself.

" Hey, you said you were attacked by a swarm of zombies, and I take your word for it, despite not having seen a single corpse around the place," Azaroth argued.

" Where's the rest of your platoon?" Camelia asked.

" I asked them to get the hell out of the place. I can only assume that since they didn't come to find you, they got to the outside of the caves…assuming they didn't run into anything else. I just hope not," Azaroth replied.

They were now heading out of the Payon caves, each of them hauling one of their injured comrades along, two in Melanie's case. The healers in their group looked rather tired, with the amount of healing they had to perform. Melanie was walking along with a female acolyte clinging to her back while she carried Princess Reinne carefully in her arms.

" I'm sorry for the trouble, Commander," the acolyte apologized when she had the chance.

" Don't sweat it, kid. I'm not going to eat you for this," Melanie replied.

" Yeah, at least not until she cooks you," Flick replied, in which Camelia gave him a boot to his shins.

Finally, after what seemed like an arduous track, they spotted the exit. The sun seemed to be settling down in the horizon, and there was just enough sunlight in the horizon to guide them towards their goal. A familiar figure stood by the entrance, looking in at them.

" Good to see you again. I knew you'll make it out alive," Vardred replied, breaking into a grin when he spotted Azaroth. " The Devil's luck never fails, and looks like you've got plenty of it, Captain."

" Stop calling me…you know what, screw you…" Azaroth groaned when he exited, with the rest of the remaining members following from behind. However, he paused when he heard loud crying noises when he exited the place. " Wait, who's crying…no, don't bother answering, I know who…"

The rest of his platoon members were gathered to the east side of the entrance of the Payon caves. Raymel was kneeling over Remant's still body, drenched in a pool of his own blood, his eyes staring lifelessly upward, crying loudly as large drops of tears ran down her face. It seems neither Raymel nor Mir managed to save him from his fatal wounds, and seeing that they were only acolytes, Azaroth wasn't too surprised. He'd find it fairly surprising if even Selene could fix such a wound. The rest of his platoon members stood around Raymel, not sure if they should go and comfort the distressed acolyte.

Azaroth set down the knight he was carrying aside next to a nearby tree and walked up towards Raymel, who just continued howling noisily over the dead body of her boyfriend. Melanie watched quietly as Azaroth squatted down next to her as she continued to cry. It took her a while to realize that Azaroth was next to her, and she turned her head to him, her eyes slightly swollen from crying so much.

" Why…" she sobbed as tears ran down her pitiful face, her hair in a slight disarray. " He didn't have to die like this…"

Azaroth had no quick answer or solution to the problem, so he did the next best thing by hugging and embracing her. Raymel buried her face hard on his chest as she continued to sob tearfully as Azaroth patted her on the back, giving Melanie a sad look just before she left to deal with other matters.

-

Tryzen took the cup gingerly and took a sip. The refreshing taste of fresh, hot tea was invigourating and inspiring all at once, the Payonese leaves certainly living up to their standard, but this was something more than that. This was the first time he drank Payonese tea with such a kick.

" You certainly know how to make your tea. Pray, tell me, what did you do with it?" Tryzen asked.

" Oh, nothing much. The tea will taste better when soaked in hot, but not boiling water, and I added a hint of lavender and ginger into the mix," Meillienne modestly replied.

" Amazing, simply amazing, I can barely taste the extra ingredients yet they are at the perfectly right amount to enhance the tea to bring out its optimum taste," Tryzen exclaimed, full of praise as Meillienne merely blushed at the comment.

" I am sure getting a strange vibe from you today, my dear," Sapphire replied.

" I can't help it, Meillienne's a great cook," Tryzen replied. " Arguably, you do make great cakes…"

" Least you still had some sense in saying that, despite it being an obvious lie…" Sapphire replied, rolling her eyes in amusement.

" That is so not true, and you know it…" Tryzen replied seriously.

" Tryzen, I will never marry a man whom which I cannot discern whether or not he is lying to me or not, and you, my dear, despite being the genius that you are, is not an exception to this rule," Sapphire replied.

" Well then, what if I prove you wrong?" Tryzen asked.

" Would you like me to leave you?" Sapphire suggested.

Tryzen threw his hands up and sank back into his chair, his body sinking slightly into the cushions. " I give up, never argue with a woman, they always win. Mind-boggling geniuses at psychological warfare, I tell you. If the world was run using brains, women would be leaders by now," he replied.

Sapphire and Tryzen turned around when Meillienne started to giggle all of a sudden. " Sorry about that," she replied apologetically, although she didn't stop giggling. " It's just…well, is this what married couples do all the time?"

Tryzen raised an eyebrow in interest. " Oh, why the sudden interest?" Sapphire asked teasingly " Could it be that you are interested in someone else as well?"

The fact that Meillienne turned completely red at the question told Sapphire she was correct. " How sweet, who is this guy?" Sapphire asked.

" Ah..it's not…urm, someone…" Meillienne replied embarrassingly. She was holding the tray in which she had served Tryzen and Sapphire tea and cookies for a snack close to her chest, as if she wanted to hide her face somehow.

" Tell us who he is," Sapphire asked.

" Is it a must for females to gossip about such things?" Tryzen muttered to himself quietly, keeping his voice low enough to avoid Meillienne or Sapphire from hearing his outward comment.

" Urm…he's nice…" Meillienne stammered.

" All of them are nice. That's why we get them in the first place. I certainly didn't get Tryzen as my boyfriend just because he was nice," Sapphire replied.

" Hey, that was my most outstanding character," Tryzen replied. " Also, if I remember correctly it was I who proposed, not…"

" So, how is it coming along?" Sapphire asked.

Sapphire realized that Meillienne was feeling uncomfortable with all the questions. " I'm sorry…but he's taken…" she replied quietly, before bowing slightly and walking away. Sapphire wanted to say something to apologise to the young maiden, but she caught the sight of Tryzen frowning, as if in deep thought. " What now?" Sapphire asked.

" Strange, I was always under the impression that she fancied Azaroth," Tryzen replied.

" She could be…"

" Highly unlikely with that statement. Azaroth, as far as I know from the last 2 hours, isn't taken," Tryzen replied. " Guess she found out someone else besides Azaroth that she fancies."

" What's the discussion about? I saw Meillienne walking out of the room, looking flustered. You know very well what will happen if I find out you have been bullying her," Grimjaw's voice floated out from the back. Tryzen spotted him leaning next to their room's door frame, having arrived as silently as a ghost. Tryzen wondered whether it was a prerequisite for rogues to always walk this stealthily.

" We may have been teasing her a bit too much…" Sapphire admitted.

" Grimjaw, I know you well enough to not even consider wanting to do anything remotely funny with…"

" Azaroth! Something's wrong with Azaroth!" Meillienne's voice suddenly howled loudly in a terrified voice from the hallway.

-

" Shit!"

" Relax, Tryzen, this blood isn't mine…" Azaroth replied.

" Meillienne came out of the house as she said she saw you walking across the inn covered in blood…geez…" Tryzen replied.

Azaroth was mainly covered in Remant's blood, which he received mainly from Raymel. His attire was in a mess and fairly bloody, bloody enough to mistake him from having sustained grievous wounds, so he wasn't surprised that Meillienne was alarmed at the sight of him as he was now.

" Azaroth, are you really alright?!" Meillienne demanded.

" Don't worry, Meillienne. You've taken enough care of me this past few weeks. I'm not going to give you that experience anytime soon, alright?" Azaroth replied, before walking off.

" Hey, what happened exactly?" Grimjaw demanded.

" I've got something I need to do, or Melanie thinks it's important to do and has sent me to do it," Azaroth replied as he continued walking. Tryzen, Sapphire, Grimjaw and Meillienne followed quickly, tagging along behind him, looking worriedly at him. Some of the townspeople looked at him in fear, wondering what was up that would cause a soldier of the country walk around at a hurried pace in their city. " I don't know…we went into the caves, and shit just happened…"

" That wasn't really very informative…" Grimjaw replied.

" I dunno…Melanie said her group was attacked by a large enough zombie force to disable most of her platoon members, while my group was ambushed by some dangerous madman who wielded a sentient sword which was sharp enough…"

" …To cut through metal," Meillienne replied.

" How the hell did you know that?!" Azaroth exclaimed in surprise, stopping and spinning around to face her in utter surprise.

" It was merely a guess. I assumed he cut your sword, since you aren't carrying your Haedonggum with you now," Meillienne replied.

" Right…" Azaroth mused, before continuing on.

" Tell me, Azy, when you say sentient sword, do you mean, the sword spoke?" Tryzen asked.

" Yes…"

" If so, I assume that this sword had an ugly looking eye on the place where the hilt meets the blade of the sword," Sapphire replied.

" I find it surprising that all of you know these details somehow," Azaroth replied, chuckling.

Tryzen suddenly grabbed him by the shoulders and spun him around while looking straight into his eyes. " Azaroth, this is no laughing matter! Allow me to enlighten you on some information. This sword you spoke of, this sentient sword, is called a Reverent. It is a special dark sword that can only be wielded by a being we call a Death Knight," Tryzen replied. Azaroth didn't reply or react as Tryzen spoke while holding the lapels to his attire.

" Death Knights reside in what we like to call the Demon World, or the other dimension in which we scholars theorise exist somewhere within the vicinity of this dimension. Only a few in number have crossed borders between worlds, although we don't really know how they do that. However, do know this, the people responsible for the 1st and 2nd Midguard War were the ones who commanded the Dark Legion, Death Knights," Tryzen replied. " Do you understand why I sound agitated, Azy?"

" Perfectly…" Azaroth replied.

" I assumed you told this to Melanie. I'm surprised she didn't do anything more drastic than sending you alone to wander around in the city of Payon," Sapphire replied. " Or…did you conveniently forget to tell this to her?"

Azaroth thought for a moment. " I think I did forget to mention a talking sword…"

Tryzen slapped his face. " Well, you better tell her quick, after you are done with whatever you are supposed to do," he replied. " Why are you here for anyway?"

Azaroth pointed towards the house behind him. They managed to reach the Mayor's house, a simple wooden house like all the rest of the village houses in Payon. Azaroth was asked by Melanie to contact the mayor for assistance, and get a reply back to the capital to inform them of the situation. Tryzen released his grip on Azaroth, and he jogged up towards the house and knocked on the door.

" Yes, yes, I'm coming, what…" the Mayor spoke before he opened the door, before stopping when he saw Azaroth standing outside, looking like a mess with blood all over him. "…w-what, you are supposed to be dead…"

Everybody heard what the Mayor had said, but it took some time for it to somehow register in their minds. " Wait, what?" Azaroth asked.

" Forget that I even said that!" the Mayor blurted out suddenly.

Azaroth suddenly drew his Tsurugi and leaped at the Mayor, who gave a terrified squeal as Azaroth jumped on him, his outstretched arm reaching out to him and grabbing him roughly as he slammed him upon the solid wooden floor with some force. The Mayor tried to squirm around to escape, but Azaroth pressed his knee upon his back and placed the blade next to his face, which made him squeal even louder.

" What the hell did you mean by that?!" Azaroth demanded.

" I-I cannot s-say…don't force me…no…" he moaned.

Azaroth lifted his sword and slammed it hard on the ground, bringing it even closer to his face, making the Mayor wet his pants. " Speak!"

" Someone…someone wanted Princess Reinne disposed off…" the Mayor squealed. Tryzen suddenly had odd images of a terrified pig all of a sudden.

" Who?!"

" They will kill me if I tell you…"

" Grimjaw, I want him to give me answers, now!" Azaroth exclaimed, sounding really angry now.

Grimjaw stepped up, and from the corner of his eyes, he saw Grimjaw flick out two daggers from his side, twirling them in his hands. When he saw Grimjaw toying with his blades, he screamed in terror and started to struggle with much more effort, but to no avail.

" Speak!" Azaroth demanded.

" They will kill me…" the Mayor sobbed, crying in terror now.

" Speak!" Azaroth demanded again, and this time Grimjaw grabbed one of the Mayor's arm and pulled it straight out while he raised his dagger over his limb.

All of a sudden, the was a sudden stabbing sound, like a knife tearing through human flesh, and the Mayor fell limp and silent altogether. Azaroth turned to Grimjaw, but he had done nothing else but hold out his arm and placing his dagger over the Mayor's arm. A cry of surprise from Meillienne caused Azaroth to turn back to the Mayor. From beneath him, a pool of blood, presumably his own, started to form under him. Taken aback, Azaroth got off the Mayor's back and turned him around. There was this oddly placed puncture wound in the middle of his chest, where it had pierced his heart. The spot here he had been lying on the floor now had this swirling mass of blackness, and a single, sharp looking spike protruding out from this circle of darkness.

_Wait just one second, this looks oddly familiar…_

" I would have killed you anyway, lousy animal, just for the kicks," a familiar voice replied.

Azaroth got up to look at the strange person who had suddenly appeared all of a sudden in the room. The figure stood several feet within the house, dressed in a black cloak with an oversized wizard's hat over her head. Strangely enough, she looked younger than the last time Azaroth met her. There was a sizzle of energy, and he saw Tryzen and Sapphire prepare their magic spells in their hands already, and Grimjaw gripping his daggers tightly while Meillienne hid behind her brother.

" What's with this reaction?! Come on now, it's like a happy reunion. It's good to see my pet is still alive, Azy," Tyranus replied in a sly, coy manner, as she licked her lips.


	29. Chapter 28: Defenders of the Princess

**Chapter 28: Defenders of the Princess**

" What is the meaning of this, Tyranus?!" Azaroth demanded in an explosive voice.

" Oh, angry, I see? For what reason, my good man? After all, I got rid of some irritating fly you were about to kill off anyway, big deal, Azy," Tyranus laughed.

Azaroth raised his sword arm up, aiming his Tsurugi at Tyhayren's face, his face contorted in anger. " Listen here, bitch. I know you are behind this, from the way you speak. Now tell me, are you responsible for what had happened in Payon caves?!" Azaroth demanded loudly.

" Oooh, let me think...is it about the attempt to kill Princess Reinne?" Tyranus asked sarcastically.

" So it is true..." Azaroth replied.

" I've already told you, Azaroth. You are going to be part of a grand scheme in which you will not like at all, and this shall be a start. Your part has yet to come, Azaroth, but you shall see that you live long enough to possibly see it to the end. Rejoice, for the wheel of destiny have begun to spin," Tyranus exclaimed.

" Who...is she?" Meillienne asked.

" Some mad fool..." Tryzen muttered.

" What the hell are you trying to achieve now, Tyranus? I held my tongue when you brought me back, but I cannot accept what you are currently doing right now. If you don't answer me, I will cut you down where you stand this very instant," Azaroth replied, bracing himself to attack.

" You? Attack me? Hardly possible, no? Don't you think our levels in skill are far too great?" Tyranus asked.

" Don't mind her. We can definitely hold our own. It will be four against one. She will be hard pressed to hold all of us back effectively," Tryzen replied. " So, shall we, Azy?"

" You people can't be serious? I mean, logically, strength in numbers would prevail, but then again, would you send like 20 novices to take care of an Abysmal Knight?" Tyranus asked.

" You do have a point," Azaroth replied " But then again, are we comparable to novices when faced with one such as you?"

" Guess it's hard to persuade..."

Azaroth didn't wait until she was finished. He instantly leaped at her, his sword held high, and Grimjaw quickly followed him from behind, twirling his daggers in his hands. A streak of lightning tore across the room from the tips of Tryzen's fingers, Tyranus avoiding the hit by shifting her head aside, the bolt merely passing centimeters from her face. Azaroth swung his hand downwards, slamming down hard on the floor, tearing a crack on the solid wooden surface, Tyranus having leaped backwards to avoid the hit.

" You are someone specialised in magic! Stay slow like you are supposed to be!" Azaroth yelled.

" Hey, I resent that!" Tryzen exclaimed.

" He was provoking the enemy, not you!" Grimjaw replied.

" ...Seriously, nobody here is skilled enough to take a joke!" Tryzen sighed.

Tyranus clapped her hands together, and there was a sudden gathering of dark energy on the palm of her hands, a sphere of darkness growing ever larger and larger than before. The sphere shot forward, growing larger and larger exponentially with each feet that it passed. Grimjaw and Azaroth leaped aside, while Tryzen and Sapphire dropped to the ground, with Sapphire grabbing Meillienne by the head and forcing her to the floor as well, since the young acolyte was a bit too slow in reacting.

Azaroth drew his hands backwards and swung his sword with full force, sending a ripple of wind towards Tyranus. She swiftly ducked to avoid the attack from lobbing her head off, and Grimjaw took this slight delay in her actions to attack, flicking several daggers in her direction. Again, she managed to dodge them like an expert acrobat, before Grimjaw closed the distance between them in one sweeping leap, a Gladius's edge gleaming as it was pointed towards her.

He slammed the Gladius upon her as she merely raised her hand to block the attack. Grimjaw's attack merely hit some sort of a force-field, an almost translucent green half-sphere appearing an inch away from where the blade threatened to strike her hand.

" What the hell?!" Grimjaw exclaimed. He did not see her make any of the required hand seals or even gestures needed for casting spells, and yet she somehow managed to erect a barrier by just lifting her hand.

" You missed!" Tyranu crackled maniacally, her voice cracking slightly.

" I assure you this will not…" Tryzen's voice called out from behind.

Tryzen had his right hand held out and his left steadying it, as it seemed to be vibrating violently from some invisible force. His hand started to glow red all of a sudden, not before spontaneously catching fire, but leaving his hand relatively unharmed. Sapphire stood behind him, drawing a large seal behind him. Azaroth could see a circular glowing seal with multiple symbols floating behind Tryzen's back.

" Done!" Sapphire replied, finishing her last symbol and snapping her fingers. The seal sudden glowed brightly, before being sucked into the fire on Tryzen's hand. Grimjaw immediately jumped back as a large red sphere surrounded Tyranus all of a sudden. She looked around quizzically, wondering what was up.

There was a sudden uptake of energy surrounding the sphere, and it imploded all of a sudden, sucking in the air and other pieces of odd and ends of the room itself, even the dead mayor's body, before exploding outwards, sending a wave of heated air all around them. The explosion blasted the wall behind Tyranus wide open, blowing a large gapping hole in the wall. As the dust settled down and the smoke started to clear, Azaroth opened his eyes to look at where Tyranus was standing.

" …What kind of abomination is she?" Grimjaw gasped.

The burnt out dried up husk of Tyranus's body stood where she stood second ago, now in the middle of a large blast crater in the middle of the house, fire burning all over the place. However, they could see, as if it was some sort of a horror show, her burnt tissue starting to regain its original composition and colour, before regenerating further by filling up the gaps that had been lost. Muscle and skin started to crawl over her like some disgusting amoebic being, covering her with flesh and blood once more, procured out of thin air, and she regained her form once more, albeit she was of course now standing stark naked in the middle of the room.

" That was my favourite hat. Damn you, Tryzen. You just had to do that, didn't you?" Tyranus laughed, although she didn't sound irritated or displeased. In fact, she sounded amused, as if exploding her was some sort of a party joke of sorts. " Hey, since I'm naked now, what do you think of me, Azy? I guess this is payment from me from catching you butt naked the last time."

Azaroth merely raised his sword again.

" No mood for jokes?" Tyranus asked.

" You once said that you were quasi-immortal. I figure that the amount you can regenerate is limited, thus you haven't really caused much havoc as you supposedly wanted to do," Azaroth replied. " Shall I put this to the test?"

" Aww…Azy figured out my weakness…"

" Shut up, bitch!" Azaroth roared. " What are you doing here?!"

" I thought you should know by now…killing Princess Reinne, of course," Tyranus replied. " Now, I was supposed to keep you here for a while, but I have a change of heart, seeing how interesting it would be to see you run around. If you can make it back to where Melanie and the rest of them are, maybe you can save them. Be quick though. Our agents have already been moving about since you arrived on this dead piece of crap's doorstep."

" What?!"

" I said, be quick…" Tyranus replied, snapping her hands as a warp portal started to open, throwing purple sparks all over the place. " I'm sure you don't have much time to hang around with me." With that, she stepped through the warp portal, leaving the five of them staring into blank space, shell-shocked as the entire house started to catch fire.

-

Melanie was tapping her fingers together as she waited for Azaroth to return with some help. It was difficult to move a large group of injured and tired people back to Payon without help. It was possible, but Melanie knew that moving them with no help from extra equipment or people might aggravate some of their injuries further, and she didn't want that to happen. So they waited near the entrance of the Payon caves, around in the forests of Payon, resting under the tree.

" Thinking of something?"

Melanie looked up from where she was sitting to see who had addressed her. It was none other than Vardred, one of the members of Azaroth's platoon. He had his sword drawn, probably still wary that they might be attacked all of a sudden, slung lazily by his side as he held it rather limply. There was a slightly look of concern on his face.

" I guess…a lot of things really…like whatever that just happened, and the Princess's condition," Melanie replied.

" Don't sweat it, it wasn't your fault," Vardred replied sympathetically.

" Let's say I placed you in charge of a platoon, and although it really wasn't your fault, but you lose half of them by some unlucky fluke. Will you still be okay it with?" Melanie asked.

Vardred opened his mouth to reply, but stopped and pondered upon the question for a while, before saying " Well…I guess not…but I know that already, I'm just trying to cheer you up."

" Is it just me, or is everyone starting to get cheeky with me lately?" Melanie asked.

" Well, I will agree you were not very approachable couple of years back when you always look fairly serious and grim, but I guess you might have loosened up a bit after these years, so I felt it might be an appropriate time to be cheeky with you," Vardred replied. " Consider this: Previously, if I was being cheeky with you, you'd punch me in the face, presumably, loosing an entire platoon of your soldiers notwithstanding."

Melanie made a muffled chuckle. " I guess you are right…" Melanie replied. " How's the girl?"

Both of them turned to the side to look at Raymel some distance away. She was still holding the body of her dead boyfriend, but sobbing much more quietly now, swaying to and fro slightly. Nobody had bothered her too much after Azaroth attempted to comfort her, although Mir and Nirvana were sitting nearby just in case she needed anything.

" Well, I guess she's still not doing too well…" Vardred replied, scratching his head. " I guess that's kinda expected…didn't know that they were that close…"

" You again with your rumours…" Melanie scowled.

" Hey, least my rumours are based off some facts…well, most of them are…"

" I couldn't care the least," Melanie replied. " Now, I did ask you to…"

Melanie didn't managed to finish her question. Before she knew it, a single lone arrow stuck through her shoulder, having pierced through the joints in her full-plate armour. She barely registered the pain of the arrow sinking into her flesh, the sensation of warm blood flowing down her body.

" What the…?" Vardred mused, looking visibly shocked.

" Everyone to their feet now!" Melanie yelled, grabbing the shaft of the arrow and yanking it out, spurting blood all over the place. " We are under attack!"

Several more arrows whizzed past her face, and Vardred stepped in-between her with his sword to block a couple of them until she got the time to equip her shield to properly defend herself. Disregarding the wound to her shoulder, she immediately tried to take in her surroundings, doing her best to make out who exactly was attacking them.

Some distance away, several archers and hunters stood in line, their bows armed, lead by a lone sniper, recognisable from the attire she wore, letting loose their arrows. Everyone dove for cover, diving and hiding behind the trees in the surrounding area since the arrows were only coming from one direction.

" Oh, geez, what's going on now? I didn't sign up for this!" Harken exclaimed.

" Moron, duck!" Nirvana exclaimed as she barged into Harken, sending both figures crashing onto the floor.

" Oof! What was that for?!" Harken exclaimed, before noticing Nirvana had sustained a cut, although not a serious one, on her shoulder from a stray arrow. " Hey, you got hit!"

Nirvana's first reply was to slap Harken right in his face with so much force that his head reeled to the side. " Moron, can't you even duck!? It's you who is supposed to do the saving, not me!"

" Will you two lovebirds just shut up for once and actually take into consideration what is really going on right now?!" Vardred exclaimed. On rare occasions when either Azaroth or Vermillion were not around, Vardred was sort of their unofficial 3rd-in-command, decided mainly by himself. He was sprawled down on the ground, having dove for Raymel first to bring her to ground level as she was still crying over her boyfriend in a sitting position, not bothered with what was going on right now. " Sandy, Brek, how's the princess?"

Sandy and Brek were on the ground, flanking the still-unconscious Princess Reinne. Sandy made some gesture that said that they were fine, just before something shot past them. One of the arrows, fired by the lead sniper, managed to pierce through one of the trees they were situated behind, hitting the ground in front of Sandy, although she barely showed any emotion about it even though she had almost been hit in the head by that very attack.

" Shit, that sniper is knows where Reinne is!" Melanie exclaimed, rolling towards Reinne and getting to her feet. Just as the sniper fired the second focused arrow strike, Melanie stood between Reinne and the arrow, the projectile slamming hard into Melanie's shield, shattering into tiny bits, the largest part remaining of the arrow was the arrows tip.

" Wait, commander!" one of the swordswoman exclaimed.

" This sucks! We are thrown from one mess into another! All available hands, arm yourselves and engage! I want three volunteers to get Princess Reinne out of this place immediately before I have a fit! Move, now!" Melanie exclaimed, as she ran up towards the sniper, her shield proudly displayed in front of her, emblazoned with the Pronteran standard.

The rest of them tried to follow her from behind, but the hail of arrows coming from the line of archers and hunters who were relentlessly pouring their arrows didn't make their advance any easier. One of the swordsman gave a cry of pain when an arrow struck his shoulders, while another crusader fell back to the ground as a couple of arrows managed to find their mark on her leg. Nirvana tried to retaliate, but the arrows were coming fairly rapidly for her to aim quick enough and return fire.

" This fucking sucks!" Harken exclaimed.

At that precise moment, the snipers head suddenly flew off her neck. Melanie had to take a few seconds to convince herself that the snipers head had been severed off. It all happened within seconds, and before she knew it, her eyes were trailing the severed head that had been sent flying into the air, blood spurting out from the severed arteries from the snipers neck.

" Harken, you are a fucking genius!" Vardred exclaimed in excitement.

" What the hell did I do this time?!" Harken exclaimed, not too sure what had happened as he as still on the ground.

" Azaroth, you are late!" Melanie yelled, charging forward.

" I deserve a promotion after this!" Azaroth's cheeky voice returned.

The sudden decapitation of the sniper made the other hunters and archers pause for a moment to reflect on what had happened, and the rest of them took the opportunity to take the advantage of this, Melanie especially as she charged headlong into her bow wielding opponents. By the time the rest of them realized she was charging and aimed their bows at her, she reached the first hunter and struck him down where he stood, her sword cleaving into his shoulder and almost splitting him into two effortlessly as she violently attacked.

This was followed up by several knives flying towards the archers, followed by Azaroth and Grimjaw crashing through from behind them, their weapons flashing in their arms, closely followed by Tryzen and Sapphire from behind. Tryzen had already prepared his spell, and he merely snapped his fingers to complete it. He then threw out his arm, and one of the nearby archers exploded in a large ball of flame, his body incinerated within seconds.

" I asked you to get reinforcements, and all you brought were your friends?!" Melanie exclaimed loudly.

" Listen, the mayor was involved in this mess," Azaroth replied, dropping slightly to avoid an arrow to the head, before leaping forward like a panther to stab another archer in his chest.

" What are you talking about?"

" I said the mayor was involved in this mess. Set us up, that lousy bastard. I'm not sure why though, but we met Tyranus earlier, and it looks like she was behind this attack," Azaroth replied, weaving in and out of the archer groups while cutting them down as quickly as he can manage.

" Tyranus?!"

" You know, looks like a kid, wears a..."

" That wasn't what I was referring to, moron!" Melanie exclaimed.

" Can someone please tell me why aren't these people screaming in pain?" Grimjaw asked all of a sudden, interrupting the conversation.

Both of them turned around, only to see Grimjaw slam two daggers into the chest of a hunter, spraying his blood all over the place. The man didn't even flinch, but merely stared back at Grimjaw with lifeless eyes, before dropping to the ground as Grimjaw yanked out his weapons from his body. Azaroth turned aside to see Tryzen immolate one of the archers, who didn't even flail around when he was set on fire, but merely dropped to the ground.

The rest of the survivors managed to recover themselves, and from Azaroth's timely ambush, they managed to rush and cut down the remaining archers and hunters without much hassle, besides another couple of them sporting some arrow wounds, although none entirely too serious to be worried about. In less than a minute, the fight was over.

" Hmm..." Vardred mused as Harken prodded a couple of dead bodies.

The bodies of their enemies seem to start to disintegrate all of a sudden, breaking apart now that they were dead. Azaroth wasn't too sure what exactly was going on right now. The bodies started to break apart, and soon enough, not much of a trace of them were left, but small specks of dirt and soot on the ground was all that remained of them.

" Wow, I've never seen anything like this before..." Harken replied.

" I have..." Tryzen replied. Everyone turned their heads to him at once, some looking surprised. " Or something vaguely similar. Melanie, if I may, I would like to have a word with you..."


	30. Chapter 29: The Elf's Trail

**Chapter 29: The Elf's Trail**

Somewhere further within the depths of the Payon forest, where dark, dank trees grow and parts that were relatively untouched by man, a small group could be seen making their way across the place, seemingly with purpose in mind. However, it was an odd collection of people, or beings would be a more suitable word to use, as technically, only one person in this merry troop could be called a person.

" Where are we?" Vemrillion asked, looking all around while she continued to munch on the roasted piece of meat that was still left from whatever was left of lunch. The sun was already halfway down the horizon, and under the shade of the trees, it gave the illusion that night had already befallen the place.

" We are in the depths of the Payon forest..." Iris replied. Vermillion had managed to convince the Isis to allow her to ride on her shoulders. Currently, as Iris was slithering across the damp forest floor, Vermillion happily shook her legs as she got herself a free ride, enjoying the view from more than 10 feet up.

" I thought that it was obvious...where exactly are we going?" Vermillion asked.

She noticed the rest of Semilia's pet companions give each other furtive looks, as if they were hiding some secret of sorts. She then turned to look at Semilia, who was leading the group, taking large strides as she went along, hoping she might give some answers.

Vermillion had some vague idea on Semilia's current purpose. Apparently, some elf showed up in the castle at Lutie, and Semilia seemed hell-bent on finding this person. Vermillion was curious as to why she left, and so she decided to tag long. The elf didn't show any signs of disagreement, or any signs that indicate that her presence was a bother of sorts. Vermillion could swear that Semilia broke into a grin when she indicated interest in coming along, although she could not be entirely sure about that.

So, it struck Vermillion as odd as to why Semilia was walking through the forests of Payon. Was this elf hidden here?

" Do not mind my companions' hesitation, for they have good reason for it," Semilia replied, picking up from where the conversation left off, without turning her head around. " Right now, we are currently heading towards my birthplace, the home of where we elves live in the forest, Elturia. We my find some clues as to where this elf is, or something that might help me in my search."

" Hmm...how so?" Vermillion asked.

" Perhaps when we get there, you can see for yourself," Semilia answered. " After all, you did say Serene wanted to take you here."

Vermillion was a little lost for words. This was the first time since the skirmish they had together in Morroc when Semilia mentioned Serene. Semilia didn't show any outward expressions when speaking about Serene, so she sounded like she didn't really know her very well and perhaps just knowing her name in passing. Vermillion figured otherwise, and never pressed upon the topic. She wondered what made Semilia bring this topic up again.

" Urm...yeah..." was all Vermillion could muster, not too sure how exactly to continue the topic.

" Well then, I guess you get to see it for yourself," Semilia replied, before continuing onwards. Vermillion was a little puzzled at the reaction she was getting, and from the expressions from her pet companions, with the exception of Peineya who is always passive, she apparently isn't the only one who was puzzled by this turn of events.

The rest of the journey was quiet and uneventful, with Vermillion trying to recognize one tree from the next. Vermillion would wholeheartedly agree, only to herself, that she was hopelessly lost in the midst of all the lush vegetation. However, Semilia continued on, guided by her instincts, merely walking and weaving through trees and large roots that stood in her way.

Vermillion could see why despite knowing the location of the elf city, rarely any humans ventured into this forsaken place. The forest had this eerie feel about it, like the trees having eyes to keep an eye on outsiders. There was this oppressive atmosphere all around her, and Vermillion somehow felt that this was somehow magical, not psychological. It grew darker and darker, and the leaves above her blotted out most of the sun. Despite having entered the edge of the forest heading eastward, after coming this deep and far into the forest, she wasn't sure if she was facing east anymore, even if they had been travelling in the same direction for the entire time.

" Something the matter?" Semilia asked, as if expecting Vermillion to feel uncomfortable.

" Hardly," Vermillion replied.

" I apologise if you feel oppressed somehow, but I guess this is one of the many things we use to keep humans out of our city," Semilia answered, knowing full-well Vermillion was lying. " Humans would usually give up at some point before. The only way they would feel safe to continue is if an elf is leading them into the city."

" So, what so secret that you have to keep us out of your city anyway? Why live in such a reclusive place?" Vermillion asked.

" We have secrets to keep, and magic and lore which we do no deem worthy of human eyes. The human heart is greedy and weak, and by far, our advance knowledge of the world will cause more harm to the human race than good," Semilia replied, before adding " Historically, we were never on good terms for the last millennia."

" But you do let some humans into your city, I'm sure," Vermillion replied. " You yourself are letting me in."

" Whether or not we choose to let people in or not, it will be up to the individual. If we deem the individual human worthy of feasting their eyes on our city, and having the willpower to keep a secret, then maybe we would allow them to enter," Semilia replied.

" …Wait, do I look like a person who would keep a secret?" Vermillion asked.

" Granted, this is the first time I'm allowing someone to enter our city, but I believe I'm never wrong in my choice," Semilia replied. " Let's just hope I'm right."

" This means she likes you," Obelisk replied.

" That's the wrong term to use, moron!" Iris replied, slapping Obelisk on the head so hard until the hat he wore seemed to swallow his head slightly, covering his eyes. " It means she fancies you…"

" I'm sorry, but wouldn't that amount to the same thing?" Crystal asked.

Nobody seemed to notice, but Peineya seemed to nodded her head slightly. Patch growled loudly due to the argument they were kicking up, but Semilia merely scratched his ear to calm him down.

" Oh shut up, we are here already," Semilia replied.

Upon hearing those words, the oppressive feeling seemed to have left Vermillion in a split second, as if somehow she had casted a powerful blessing spell on her to ease her of her troubles. Without wasting time, she jumped off Iris's shoulders and ran up to where Semilia stood to see the elven city for herself.

The city was completely deserted.

Upon this spot grew several large trees, spanning 20 feet in diameter. All along the sides of the trunks were cylindrical wooden houses carefully and ingeniously built on the sides of the trees, looking like odd bumps on a sick tree. These trees which housed these tree houses spanned over a kilometer in distance. Vermillion was expecting something more grandeur, but all that greeted her sight was something simple and seemingly uncivilized.

However, that wasn't the interesting thing about the city. The absence of people was what made it peculiar. There was no one in sight, not a soul, except the rest of them, and Vermillion stood at the city's edge looking at an empty shell, a city that was soulless. Her jaw dropped slightly as she saw the city, now with careful observation, was in a slightly disarray. Moss has started to grow on some of the houses, and although they still were intact, gave it a touch of negligence. She turned to Semilia, catching the expression on her face that told her that she somehow knew about this.

" You seemed surprised," Semilia replied.

" Of course I am! Where the hell are the rest of the elves? I know you all have a small population, but I hardly think it would be so small until you are the only one left!" Vermillion replied.

" Oh, but I am…besides maybe a few others…" she replied. Patch had walked ahead of her, sniffing the ground as he walked. " You seemed shocked. Perhaps I should give you a history lesson. Do you wish to hear?"

Vermillion didn't reply, but merely frowned, looking confounded. Semilia took that as a yes, and started.

" Both humans and elves used to populate the world together, whether or not this was previously in harmony or mutual consent I wouldn't know, but we did live together for some time. However, things were not meant to be. Elves were perhaps too proud of their own skills and finesse, while humans were took weak or greedy to understand us completely. Steadily, we soon drifted apart, and we found ourselves fighting against one another, isolating each race."

" I'm not sure when, but the decision was made not to live together. We would build our own communities and live separate from each race, perhaps a number of us traversing between cultures, but we mainly stayed apart. We grew to despise humans for their fragile souls, and humans came to fear all that is unknown about us. Cities like Elturia were built, and we lived far away, ignoring the human world, assuming it was not there."

" But perhaps elves were not meant to be alone, or to this world. Our cities never flourished, and our people never prospered. The grand cities of the elves soon dwindled in their population, until Elturia was the only one left."

" Only one left? You mean there were more of cities like these? I thought it was common knowledge that there was only one city?" Vermillion asked.

" It is true, and Elturia is probably past its prime. You may not believe me, but once, Elturia was as grand as Prontera, or even better. But the cities all started to fail, and our numbers started to dwindle, until Elturia was the only city left for us. We were too proud to admit something was wrong, and had too much pride to confide in you humans, least you look down upon something you once, and still do, fear."

" Despite that, Elturia was stable, for at least a while, that is until the 1st Rune-Midguard War. It was a violent war, lead by the dark forces that ravaged the land. Despite that, the elves didn't take up arms against what could be called a common enemy. Since the target of the war was humans, we left them to their own devices, along and vulnerable in the war. Perhaps if we had stepped up, and helped what was a distant cousin of our kind, perhaps history would have changed somewhat, but the wheels of destiny have been turned, and there was no stopping it."

" And thus, the war began, with the humans emerging victorious after what was a long struggle between light and dark. But the victory can only be short lived, for a second war broke out, once again against the humans. Once more, the elves decided not to bother about the humans, but this was to cause our downfall, for the Dark Legion struck us first."

" Wait, what?" Vermillion asked.

" We were first target of the 2nd Rune-Midguard War. We had no idea why, but Aeris Darkblade swooped down upon Elturia, and attempted to decimate whatever that was left of our pitiful race. The damage was so significant, that only a few of us remained. Once they were done, they left to continue their fight against humanity, as if elves were a mere testing ground, or he just decimated our race just for fun."

" Wait, we didn't know this! And you didn't bother telling?!" Vermillion demanded.

" You ask us to demand help from humans when we have forsaken them before? I think not. I've seen your kind, and although there are good ones amongst you, humans in general will not help those who scorn them. Even I, personally, would not. Are you telling me that we should ask help from humans whom we had ignored in the 1st War, and now, when we are in trouble, ask them for help in turn? I think not. Humans would not agree to help, and elves were just too proud to ask for help to save their dying race."

Vermillion wasn't sure what to make of this history lesson. It all seemed unbelievable and insane, but Semilia spoke in a true and outspoken manner, not even bothered that she sounded like she was insulting herself as an elf. There was a hint of bitterness in her voice, as if she hated the actions of her kind.

" We tried to pick up when it ended, but we never could fully recover. We had lost our source of magic, and elves were already dwindling in number before we were decimated. About a hundred were left. We knew very well this would be the last generation of true elves."

" The remainders decided that our lives were over, and we should live as we see fit. We left on our own separate ways, most of us living in seclusion, others integrating themselves into the human society, until the blood in our children will no longer be elvish. Before we left, we rebuilt whatever was left of our city, and whatever we have left, was left here. This is what is left of the great elven city, Elturia. Behold!" Semilia replied, holding her hands up high as if to present a grand winner.

It was those rare moments in Vermillion's life when she was speechless. It took her a long while before she started shouting again.

" You mean this is over?! The elves that we once knew was over!?" Vermillion exclaimed.

" Indeed, from your reaction, it shows that nobody in the human world seems to know that we are ceasing to exist. Perhaps we wanted it that way. One fine day, someone will ask where are the elves, and by that time, we would cease to exist in this world," Semilia replied. " A fitting end to our proud and arrogant race, no?"

" So…where do you come in? And why were you chasing that wizard dude with us anyway?" Vermillion asked.

" Most of the basis for the spell Treiken casted was by his own invention, but the core of the spell was elvish," Semilia replied.

" What?!" Vermillion exclaimed so loudly the rest of Semilia's pet companions jumped at the exclamation.

" Was there a need to tell them? Even if they did know, I have absolutely no idea of how to explain the spell to them, not can I tell who is using it, nor can I help stop Treiken, or whoever he was using the spell for, from casting it. Besides, being an elven spell, it is merely a spell regardless. And even if I tell them, what would humans think of us anyway? A bad way to end our lives in this world in such a fashion," Semilia replied.

" So, you wanted to hunt this person because he was using your spells?" Vermillion asked.

" You could say that. However, I believe that there is another elf that was helping, or previously helping him, and I somehow believe it is the elf we are searching for in question. It is my duty to find him, and to find out why he's doing this sort of act," Semilia replied.

" What? Your duty?" Semilia asked.

There was this tense moment when Vermillion sense that she shouldn't have asked that question, but Semilia seemed to let it go. " …Yes, my duty, to pick up a task where someone had failed," she replied tersely.

Vermillion pondered for a while, perhaps to think on a few things, something she rarely did. " …So, tell me, are you really a princess?" she asked.

Semilia smirked at the comment. " By birth, yes. Just as Reinne Malkenthos is a princess of Rune-Midguard, then Semilia Nighthound is a princess of her elven people. Regardless, my status is of unimportance. There is no one else left to rule with," Semilia replied.

" One final last question, least you think I'm being a prick," Vermillion replied. " Who is Serene to you?"

" You finally made it, huh?" Semilia replied.

"…Please repeat, I didn't get that…" Vermillion answered back.

" She wasn't talking to you…" Iris replied, slithering forward.

Vermillion turned to look at the city, only to spot a lone man, or more precisely, a male elf, sitting on the balcony of one of the tree houses, in plain view. A Luna Bow was slung on his back, a pack of quivers containing silver arrows by his side. He looked fairly dark for an elf, and if it wasn't for his elven traits, Vermillion might mistake him for a human Morrocan. He wore long cotton pants and a vest with a strange circular symbol on hischest.

" Fancy meeting you here, Semilia," the elf replied. " Or maybe you were actually waiting for me here? Springing a trap or a surprise, I suppose?"

" You could say that Falkes," Semilia answered.

" Liked my present I left on top of that tower. I must say, my shot was pretty accurate, despite being so far," Falkes replied.

Vermillion was suddenly reminded of the arrow that had struck Kain at the top of the tower where they had attempted to rescue Meillienne.

" So, it was you!" Vermillion exclaimed.

" My, my, how the proud have fallen. Semilia, you have this human for company now…I thought the rest of your pets were weird enough," Falked replied.

" Vermillion, I think this part in under your department," Semilia replied.

" Damn right!" Vermillion yelled enthusiastically.

Falkes raised his eyebrows when Vermillion slipped on her knuckle weapons and slammed her fist together, making a ringing noise when both her fists collided with one another. In an instant, she dashed towards Falkes. Falkes slipped out his bow and fired a shot at her. Vermillion twisted slightly, the bow missing her by centimeters. Falkes fired two more in quick succession, his hands flashing so fast it looked like he only attempted one shot, but Vermillion slammed her fist forward, smashing the arrows in to bits.

" What?!" Falkes exclaimed.

He was temporarily distracted when several arrows shot past him. Falkes flicked his head aside slightly to the side to avoid getting skewered in his head by an arrow. Just then, Iris slithered below to where Falkes was on the balcony. Vermillion flipped herself upon Iris, her athletic ability and agility allowing her to step on Iris shoulders within seconds. Iris shot herself upwards, throwing Vermillion up, and Vermillion leaped up as high as she could, her hands grabbing upon the edge of the balcony.

Falkes flipped out a knife from his side and attempted to swipe Vermillion's hands, but he missed as she hoisted herself over and kicked him hard in the chest, kicking him backwards. Falkes rolled back into the room, skidding slightly on the floor. Vermillion rushed towards him, grinning madly as her weapons flashed in front of his face. Falkes threw himself to the left, crashing into an old set of tables set on the side just as Vermillion came in to throw a wild punch at his face.

As Vermillion spun around to face him, Falkes already had an arrow in his bow, primed and ready to fire. Instantly, Vermillion dropped low just as Falkes released his grip on the bow. The arrow shot past her head, but when Vermillion dropped to the ground, her eyes focused on Falkes's bow, which had another arrow loaded in it already.

_Wait just one second! I didn't even see him draw his bow!_ Vermillion thought to herself.

The arrow flew from the bow just as Vermillion sprang upwards, leaping off the wooden floor, the arrow passing by her legs. Vermillion watched as Falkes raised his bow towards her, another arrow already armed. She didn't want to question how the hell he managed to reload his bow so quickly, but the most important thing now was to avoid getting killed.

The arrow came flying towards her, almost in slow motion from the looks of it. She reached out with one of her hands, and the arrow struck her painfully in the middle of her hands in the middle. She gritted her teeth in pain, but made no further complaints. As soon as her feet touched the ground once more, she dove aside, finding some temporary shelter from behind a table. The following couple of arrows that narrowly missed her head after passing through the wooden piece of furniture told her that it was a useless piece of cover, and she dove through a door, crashing through the wooden door like it was a wall of a paper.

" Damn that bastard! I'll kill him if that's the last thing I do," Vermillion snarled, pulling out the arrow that had been lodged in her hand, dripping blood all over the floor as she yanked the arrow out painfully. She figured the arrow had shattered a couple of bones in her hand, but she didn't really mind. She grip her hand tightly, before a soft glow of white light surrounded her hand, before the wound sealed itself up.

" Well, what's a monk like you doing with Semilia anyway?" Falkes asked calmly, sounding as if he was playing some sort of amusing game.

" Why do you want to know? I bet you are going to die soon anyway," Vermillion replied.

" Oh, I like your spunk…you seem to like to live on the edge, don't you?" Falkes replied.

Vermillion looked around, wondering what she could use in the now deserted room to her advantage. There was nothing much, a couple of almost empty shelves with some books and a dusty looking bed, but nothing that might be of real use against a sniper's arrows. However, her eyes caught on one of the books, and she wondered if that was enough to serve as a decent shield.

" Maybe Semilia's somehow got…tch!"

Vermillion couldn't see anything, but she somehow heard several arrow shots being shot, and she figured somehow Semilia managed to scale the balcony as well. Without waiting or thinking, she got up, grabbed the largest tome she could pick off the nearest shelf and tore out the room.

Semilia was by the window, barely dodging one of Falkes arrows. He noticed Vermillion running up towards him, and he turned his attention towards her, pulling back his bow as he fired a shot just as she came out. Vermillion held up the tome with one hand to block the shot. The arrow pierced the book as if it was made of paper, but Vermillion knew better. As soon as the arrow hit, she tossed the book aside, sending the arrow aside along with it. Her path free now, she leaped at Falkes before he could fire another shot.

" Argh!"

Something quick and sharp swooped in from behind her and struck her head. It wasn't fatal or anything, but whatever it was it was fairly sharp, because she could feel some of her blood flow down the back of her scalp. She disregarded it, but whatever it was, it was fairly persistent, since it kept scratch her head. She ducked to avoid whatever it was that was harassing her, only to see a falcon flapping its wings right above her.

Falkes almost fired a shot at Vermillion's prone body, but Semilia came up to intercept her quick enough, drawing her short knife from her belt and swinging it at his direction. Falkes did a sidestep to avoid the attack, but Vermillion took this chance to leap at him, her fist drawn back, ready to strike him as hard as she could possibly could.

Just as she was about to land a mighty blow on his face, her body hit some invisible barrier hard. She didn't only hit some invisible barrier, but some invisible barrier that was rapidly expanding. As soon as her body slammed into the invisible barrier, she was suddenly pushed back by this barrier, tossing her on the ground as she rolled several feet back. Semilia was pushed to the edge of the balcony, with Crystal and Iris looking worriedly up, wondering if she was going to fall off or not.

" What the hell…hey!" Vermillion exclaimed as she sat up quickly.

A purple translucent barrier had been erected in the room, with Falkes and his falcon in the center. However, he didn't seem to be alone. Someone else, someone Vermillion knew somewhat, stood within the barrier along with him, grinning at Vermillion.

" You! What do you think you are doing, witch?!" Vermillion exclaimed, seeing Tyranus standing inside the barrier along with Falkes.

" Nothing, just keeping this idiot alive, that's all," Tyranus replied, before slapping Falkes hard on his head, which she did with some effort since she was fairly short compared to him. " Dummy, don't go off having fun and making me bail you out when you are in trouble…"

" Geez, I'm sorry…" Falkes replied, rubbing the spot where he had been hit, although he obviously didn't sound sorry. His falcon flew over and perched itself on his shoulders. " Well, we don't have much left to do here. We may as well leave…"

" Hang on a minute! What are you lousy morons doing here?!" Vermillion yelled.

Tyranus placed a finger on her lips while winking slyly. " Shh, you will know in due time, girl…now, hurry along, I'm sure you've got Azy worried somehow…go keep him company…" she replied, before waving her hands around and snapping her fingers.

Vermillion threw herself forward, barrier or no barrier regardless, throwing a powerful punch on the purple barrier itself. As she struck, it sent a ripple like throwing a stone in a body of water along the circular barrier, but she might punched a wall instead, since it hardly did anything. Tyranus opened one of her warp portals once more, crackling with purple energy. Both of them stepped into the portal, and it was only then when the barrier dissolved.

" What's the meaning of this?!" Vermillion yelled.

" I can only guess…" Semilia replied non-chalantly, before slipping her knife back into its sheath.


	31. Chapter 30: The Death Knight

**Chapter 30: The Death Knight**

Nighttime was almost engulfing Payon, now that the sun was almost gone from the horizon. Whatever light there was left wasn't really enough to light up the darkness that was creeping towards them. Azaroth wondered whether the sight of the sky was similar to the mood of their group.

Melanie managed to get some reinforcement troops from the nearby sentry station, and they hauled the whole group back to one of the nearby clinics to get some treatment. Azaroth was fine, as was most of his platoon, so neither he nor the rest of his platoon were compelled to stay, so he was back in his room in the inn. An empty food tray lay before his bed, remains of a meal Meillienne was kind enough to cook for him.

He glanced at the Haedonggum sword he had that was now lying on his bed. He somehow managed to backtrack back into the Payon caves when he had the time to retrieve his broken shard, which was stupid and reckless on his part, as he was constantly reminded by Melanie, but he wouldn't have any of it. These two swords were given to him by his mother, and they were the only thing that reminded him of her. Loosing some part of it was like loosing some part of his memory of her, and considering that he didn't have too much memory of her, he disliked the thought of loosing it regardless. Melanie would possibly consider this some hopeless sentimentalism, but maybe Tryzen could understand why.

" Don't need to look so depressed, you can get it fixed when we get back, Captain," Harken piped up all of a sudden, perhaps uncomfortable with the silence that had precipitated throughout the room, only to be nudged painfully in the ribs by Nirvana.

" Thanks for the concern, but it isn't my sword I'm depressed about…" Azaroth replied. Harken and Nirvana looked at each other, with slightly surprised looks on their face. Azaroth saw their looks and chuckled slightly. It was a lie, but he didn't wish to sound like some uncaring person. Remant just died and Raymel was grieving, so it was hardly befitting of him to be depressed over a broken piece of metal.

" Raymel has stopped crying now, at least. I think she wants to talk to you," Vardred replied, walking into the room. Azaroth raised his eyebrows, wondering what this was all about. Regardless, he got up and walked out of the room.

The inn was fairly quiet. Brek and Sandy could be seen leaning on the walls, keeping silent as if in contemplation. Whatever they were contemplating was beyond his imagination, because they rarely spoke to the rest of the platoon, Sandy especially. It took 3 months for Azaroth to realize that Sandy wasn't really mute, but just an unnaturally quiet person. Both of them barely nodded their heads when he passed. Azaroth walked across the corridor and came up to the room at the end, knocking on the door silently.

" Come in…" the voice inside replied.

Azaroth turned the knob and pushed the door open as he entered. The room looked relatively the same as his own, except it was empty save for one lone girl. Raymel sat by the window, leaning her head on the glass panel. As soon as he entered, she spotted Azaroth and got up in an instant, brushing her dress as she stood up.

" Please, sit down…" Azaroth replied, waving his hands.

" Urm…what brings you here, Captain?" Raymel asked timidly as she sat back down.

" Huh? I thought Vardred said that you asked me to come…" Azaroth mused, before realizing that Vardred was probably lying. If he thought Azaroth had a good chance of comforting the poor girl, he might have been mistaken. Trying not to sound awkward, he continued " Ah well…his mistake probably…do you mind if I sit down…"

Raymel shook her head and turned her head to look out at the dark sky. Azaroth sat down on the nearest spot where he could place his rear end upon, but he somehow ended up on her bed somehow. Azaroth could have slapped his face for sitting on one of the more awkward places in the room. Raymel caught sight of it, and the look on her face was probably due to confusion, or curiosity.

" Thank you for coming regardless, I appreciate it…" Raymel replied.

" You know, this might sound bad, and probably late, but…I'm sorry for what happened…" Azaroth replied.

" It's alright, I cried enough…" Raymel replied sadly, not even looking at Azaroth, although he wondered if she was trying to sound sympathetic with him.

Azaroth felt awkward. He had just entered Raymel's room and he had now run out of topics to talk about. He had topics to talk about, he just was quite sure they were not suitable topics to talk about at the moment. Still, he felt that the silence was awkward and silly as well, and he might as well do something besides talking up more breathing space in the room itself.

" Urm…you want to talk about anything?" Azaroth asked.

Upon his question, Raymel turned around and looked at Azaroth quizzically, as if he had said an inappropriate joke. " Talk?" Raymel mused. " I wasn't quite aware that you were some sort of…advisor…"

Azaroth gave a short terse chuckle. " Well, honestly, I am not, but I can listen…that's all…" he replied.

Raymel returned her gaze towards the outside of the window and kept silent. She didn't speak for a while, and several minutes passed. Azaroth figured he did a bad job out of it, and he felt his presence might be a slight bother to her, so he was about to leave, only to be stopped when she suddenly spoke up.

" Remant and I…well, you know…it was kinda hard to try and get along. He was the kinda soft, shy yet typically nice guy you would find. But my parents never approved of him really, I don't really know why. Is being some sort of an orphan a bad thing? Remant was kinda traditional, I guess. He had difficulty coming to terms about having a relationship with me while both my parents scorned him to some degree. We loved each other, but it was hard on him to get acceptance…guess that's why he's been gloomy lately…" Raymel mused quietly, as if to herself.

Azaroth merely listened. Remant had not looked too good lately. Was this the reason?

" But still, I wondered why we still stuck out with each other? If he disliked my parents' scorn so much, he should just leave, not hang around like some morbid disease just waiting for the chance to infect an immune person. I just hated that attitude of his. I wish sometimes he could be a man and make up his mind sometimes," Raymel continued.

Azaroth figured those words came out harsh. Perhaps a way to ease her loss by putting some anger on someone who was already dead. Was she blaming Remant on dying on her?

" I'm pregnant…" she suddenly said.

Azaroth almost fell out of the bed he was sitting on. It was not one of the things he was expecting her to talk about.

" I'm…so scared…" Raymel replied, her right hand suddenly moving towards her belly and stroking it subconsciously. " I'm so scared, Captain…what am I supposed to do?"

Azaroth got up and walked towards Raymel, and squeezed her shoulders in a reassuring manner. She looked up at him, as if she was on the brink of tears again. " Relax girl, it will all work out somehow…do know that we will be here for you, alright? …Well, at least I will…"

She surprised him by suddenly getting up and hugging him tightly, which made Azaroth feel strangely old, as if he was sort of like playing the father figure here, but perhaps just this once, he didn't really mind. Unsure of how to follow this up, he merely extended his hand over her head and patted her gently.

-

Melanie sat on a nearby wooden seat with her arm propped against her chin as she stared at the bed where Princess Reinne was resting in. Reinne looked serene and peaceful, as if not filled with trouble while she laid on the bed, sleeping peacefully, her chest rising and dropping ever so slightly with her breathing, covered in a warm quilt. Melanie merely stared at her, before diverting her attention towards the drink on the table which Tryzen had graciously provided her with.

It was the infamous Geffenian coffee, and it was about as bad as she could have ever imagined. Drinking mud water might even have a more pleasing effect than the blackish brown crap that was in that drink, but true to its nature, it was the best coffee available to keep awake. Despite being so tired, Melanie could still function after a few sips of the horrible batch, despite her brain yelling internally for her to get some rest.

She had not slept in a while, taking short naps when available, since there was just too much on her hands. First was taking care of Reinne, then her troops, then the problem about the Mayor's house being blown to bits. Azaroth filled her in with the finer details on his encounter with Tyranus and details on his fight with what supposedly as a Death Knight, with Azaroth insisting he had not gone nuts yet. She was just too tired to think of what to do next, and this was one of her few breaks she had in a while as she watched over Reinne.

She could not bring herself to procure the idea of what it was to know that there was a Death Knight looming around. The idea in itself would just bring everyone's morale down, and terror rates skyrocketing. She was fairly young at the time, but she could still remember the time when the Dark Legion invaded Rune-Midguard.

The Dark Legion was a collection of dark creatures, big and small, from all over the continent of Rune-Midguard, like zombies, raydrics, and orcs. No one could figure out how they could gather together in such a communal sort of way, since these creatures usually roam the lands mindlessly, living in their own habitat in specific areas, some species forming small colonies of their own, like the Orc tribes. Some say that dark magic was used, others argued that these creatures already have some innate sentient ability of their own. Melanie personally liked to blame Death Knights.

She always had a hard time imagining this, but she could not perceive the idea of an alternate dimension. Wizards, sages and scholars from all over Rune-Midguard had always been discussing and researching on dimensions, one of the main theories behind the existence of dangerous monsters that roam the world of Rune-Midguard. Melanie could never understand the definition of a dimension. Scholars say that dimensions are worlds that sit alongside one another along in the exact same space, and the reason they co-exist was due to some time-space theory wizards cooked up.

Still, this was apparently the only explanation to why Death Knights existed. Until about 30 years ago since its initial appearance, Death Knights were non-existent. There was no record of one until that time, not a single line in any ancient text. So, apparently they just popped out of thin air sometime 30 years ago. Either that, they had been hiding throughout the ages, and it seemed that they were pretty good at that. Some brought up the idea of evolution, but Melanie dismissed it. If it was due to evolution, what exactly did a Death Knight evolve from?

She had never personally seen a Death Knight in person, but tales of its encounter were legendary throughout its current years of existence. It was said that a Death Knight looked like a Lord Knight in retrospect, but was much larger, bulkier, wearing armour made of enhanced and refined elunium and titanium, imbued with powerful magic. It had a human appearance, but had dark skin and a hideous face that supposedly sent men trembling on their knees. It had insane strength and speed for its figure, making Abysmal Knights look like mere knights when compared to it in its presence. A Death Knight also wielded a Reverant, which was its own personal sword. A distinctive feature of the sword was its lone single eye that sat on the point where the blade meets the hilt of the blade, red and yellow in colour with a scary looking iris. It is said that those who hear the sword speak will definitely be fated to death by its sharp blade.

She suddenly chuckled to herself. If the last statement was true, this would mean that Azaroth was a divine warrior, for he survived.

" What are you chuckling about?" a voice asked her.

Melanie turned around in mild surprise when she heard the voice. Sapphire entered the room, closely followed by Tryzen, who was looking around the place like a kid entering a museum. Sapphire smiled slightly, before drawing up a chair and sitting down next to Melanie.

" Nothing much really…" Melanie answered, before turning to Tryzen. " This coffee tastes like shit, but it's apparently the best caffeine inducing substance I have ever experienced. I can't believe you wizards drink this crap to cook up some crackpot theories late in the middle of the night where no one else can figure out what you are talking about."

" That…might just be a contributing factor to why we do have crackpot theories floating around…" Tryzen chuckled. " But you shouldn't drink too much yourself. You need sleep, not stimulants to continuously keep you awake."

" Bah, I'll do fine…" Melanie replied.

" Tired?" Sapphire asked.

" Tired enough," Melanie replied, gazing out of the window, looking at the night sky as her thoughts slowly drifted back to the Dark Legion.

Melanie was fairly young at the time, but she had experienced the depressing feelings of war. She remembered almost always being stuck in her orphanage, the curfews as demanding as ever, as she tried to look out at the outside world through her window. She could almost always see soldiers running in the streets, people shouting and crying, occasionally people sometimes carrying bloodied people or corpses across the place. To her far right of the window was where the walls of Prontera proudly stood to defend against any invaders, always alight with fire and lightning, with people rushing around at a distance, fighting a constant invasion by the enemy forces.

Melanie knew that Selene had taken part in the previous invasion by the Dark Legion as a young acolyte, and the event changed her forever. Melanie never got into the details though, since Selene never talked about it much.

" You have a guest," a voice interrupted her thoughts once more.

She turned around to look at who had spoken to her. Grimjaw stood by the open door, his hands on his sister's shoulders. Meillienne held a tray of snacks on her hands, most likely made by herself.

" Oh," Melanie responded tiredly. " Thanks for the snacks. Is that all you wanted to see me for?"

" I…wasn't referring to my sister, crusader," Grimjaw replied.

Melanie almost leaped out of her chair in shock when Aesis walked up from behind Grimjaw and entered her room.

-

Azaroth closed the door behind him as he exited Raymel's room, stretching his arms as he yawned loudly. He was feeling beat, and a soft, cushiony bed was what he really wanted right now, although he suspected somehow it would elude him for a while. He stood in the middle of the hallway, wondering what to do next, before looking down at the spot here his Haedonggum used to hang, and he felt depressed all of a sudden.

It never occurred to him until now how much attached he was to his swords. He had them long before he knew it, had always used them for training, and had kept it next to him for as long as he could remember. Meillienne tried to make him feel better by getting him another replacement sword, but it just didn't feel right in his hand, so he politely refused and just kept with his lone Tsurugi. It was an odd feeling of vulnerability.

Shaking his head and telling himself to ignore it, he headed back to his room, only to see some commotion down ahead of the corridor, along with some voices, one which he could recognise as Grimjaw's. However, he noticed a large figure standing right ahead, with two large broadswords strapped on his back. Azaroth knew instantly who it was.

" Commander Aesis?!" Melanie exclaimed in alarm.

" Hmm, nice to see you here…" Azaroth replied as he came up towards the room.

" No need to be alarmed, Melanie, I'm just here to inspect on things and check on Reinne," Aesis replied, entering the room, walking up to Reinne's bed, where she was sleeping soundly. He observed her passively for a while, before turning to the rest of them and said " I must thank you for protecting her, and I'm sorry for the loss of your men."

" Nothing to it, Commander Aesis," Melanie replied. " Honestly, if it wasn't for her, I think almost all of us would have been annihilated by now. We have Princess Reinne to thank for."

" Well, isn't that a given?" another voice replied, before the figure of Deinnelle entered the room, Azaroth making way for her to enter.

" Commander!?" Melanie exclaimed in alarm, shocked to see two Division commanders in the same room, away from Prontera.

" Calm down, Melanie, the fact that we are here isn't because of your failures. I have urgent reason to believe something else otherwise, and Deinnelle is here to help me as well. There are things I need to discuss with you, and the rest of your troops. If you would be so kind, could you get them for me?" Aesis asked.

" What's all the commotion?" Tryzen asked, peeping in from the door frame.

" Tryzen!" Sapphire replied in a harsh undertone.

" No, come in as well, both of you. Grimjaw, Meillienne, it would be favourable if both of you stay as well," Aesis replied. Meillienne hurried forward and placed the snack tray on the nearby table, pouring them all some tea in small, floral pattern cups.

" Excuse me, I shall go get them then," Azaroth replied, excusing himself from the room.

Meillienne humbly served them all some snacks and tea, but nobody was really in a mood to eat at the moment. It didn't take too long before Azaroth returned, along with Camelia and Flick, who looked rather sleepy and sluggish. Azaroth plopped himself on the wall opposite the room, while Camelia and Flick took positions next to the window, side by side next to each other. Aesis merely paced around in the room, his hands folded, as if waiting for someone.

" Urm, who else are we waiting for?" Tryzen asked.

" Where's Vermillion?...Maybe I should have been more specific in asking for her, but being second in command of a platoon requires her presence here as well," Aesis replied.

" Vermillion…erm, she's not here…" Azartoh replied sheepishly.

" Oh…" Aesis replied as he stopped pacing the room. " I'm sorry about that…"

" Wait, hang on a minute, you are getting the wrong picture here. She's not dead, she's just not here," Azaroth replied.

" Excuse me?" Aesis replied.

" Vermillion left some time ago with that elf, Semilia, who came along with us. I have no idea why, nor was I available at the time to say no to her. Still, she's now off somewhere with Semilia, God knows where she is right now. She didn't come along with our trip to the Payon caves, although I'm sure she would have been pleased with the outcome of our expedition," Melanie answered.

There was a soft groan nearby, and everyone turned their attention to the bed where Reinne was lying on. Reinne shifted in her sheets slightly, before opening her eyes. Deinnelle and Aesis leaned over to check on her looking worried. Reinne looked around with a dazed look on her face, no doubt her head still fuzzy and her vision cloudy. She fixed her eyes on Deinnelle for a while, before muttering softly " …Grandma?"

Deinnelle patted Reinne softly on her cheek. " Yes, Grandma is here. If you were not this sick, I'd slap you right now," Deinnelle replied. The rest of them merely chuckled at the comment. " Go to sleep, don't bother about us."

" …Okay…mommy…" Reinne muttered, before falling to sleep once more.

" Was becoming a mom from a granny a downgrade, or an upgrade?" Tryzen asked.

" Both, I guess…but we aren't here to talk about me being motherly now, are we?" Deinnelle replied.

" Indeed," Aesis replied, before turning to Azaroth. " We need to discuss important matters. Azaroth, I heard you went head on with this so called 'Death Knight'. Now, I need you to describe him for me."

_Writer's note: Due to technical problems, this fic will be on hiatus for the next couple of weeks or so, until I sort things out. Sorry about that..._


	32. Chapter 31: The Commander of Midguard

**Chapter 31: The Commander of Midguard**

Aesis merely kept quiet as he listened to Azaroth's description of the person he faced in the Payon caves, along with the recollection of events that happened to him and his platoon. Nobody said a word as Aesis listened to Azaroth's story, and nobody said anything long after he was done, allowing Aesis to think about the matter.

Aesis sighed after a while. " So...it's not 'him' then...?" he mused.

" Excuse me?" Azaroth asked.

" Don't mind me, I'm merely talking to myself..." Aesis replied.

" What are your plans now, sir?" Melanie asked.

" Visiting the Payon caves might be a good start," Aesis replied.

" What?!" Melanie exclaimed in alarm. " You can't seriously be thinking of going back inside!"

" Unfortunately, I do. I need to check out the place," Aesis replied. " Melanie, I will need all available, and skilled, men you can spare. I will take whatever you can afford for me. Deinelle and I should be sufficient, but I'd like to take some precautions."  
" Me?" Deinelle asked.

" Surely, you came along with me to do something, no?" Aesis asked teasingly.

" I'm not sure who I can really afford," Melanie replied. " Flick, Camelia, Azy...maybe a few people from Azaroth's platoon. Vardred and Sandy should be available."

" That will be enough. Get them ready. We leave once everyone is assembled," Aesis replied, turning to walk out of the room.

Melanie got up and followed Aesis, but he merely spun on her, which surprised her greatly, before prodding his finger on her chest plate armour. " You, however, are required to stay here," Aesis replied kindly.

Melanie felt affronted. " What?! Why can't I accompany you?!" she demanded.

" Shhh…keep your voice down, Reinne's still sleeping," Aesis replied in a hushed voice. " Look, I know you want to come, but look at you, you are absolutely worn out, fatigued and tired, obvious from your slightly dreary eyes that are looking back at me. What you need is not another excursion, but rest…now don't give me that look, least I start pulling rank on you to make you stay. Besides, someone needs to hold the fort, as they always say. Will you?"

Melanie sighed tiredly. It wasn't as if she was going to fall asleep anytime soon after all the Geffenian coffee she had consumed, but she wasn't in the mood to argue with him, and she was indeed too tired to argue anyway.

" I…understand…" she replied after a while.

" Excellent, the rest of you, follow me…" Aesis replied, walking out of the room.

-

Besides Aesis, Azaroth was the first one out of the inn. Azaroth spotted his impressive figure leaning against one of the trees next to the inn, his eyes closed as if in sleep or some sort of trance. His black coloured cloak and robes made it hard to distinguish him especially now at night. Aesis caught sight of Azaroth exiting from the inn, and returned his attention to him.

" I heard that you only recently recovered. Are you sure you should be up and about?" Aesis asked.

" Relax, I'm fine. It would be an apt time to say that you sound like my mother, but honestly, I don't even remember her ever bugging me like that before," Azaroth replied, chuckling as he walked up to Aesis.

" Sorry to hear that," Aesis replied.

" Nothing to it, really…" Azaroth replied. " So, what do you make of this mess?"

Aesis took a deep breath, exhaling loudly before continuing. " Well, I hate to admit it, but this might be serious. A Death Knight running loose? Sounds real dangerous. I don't think I need to explain what might happen," he replied.

_Nope, thanks to Tryzen's timely remark…_Azaroth thought. " Urm…do you have like…solid reasoning that the Dark Legion might rise again? I mean, you all did beat them, twice, before right? So, how is it possible for them to come back again? And where are they going to get forces to supplement their ranks?" Azaroth asked.

" The ranks of the Dark Legion were supplemented by dark and undead creatures," Aesis replied. " I don't need to explain where they will be getting reinforcements, do I?"

" Oh…" Azaroth muttered, sounding silly.

" I have other reasons for their revival," Aesis answered. " For one, I do not believe Aeris Darkblade perished 12 years ago."

Azaroth nodded his head, before realising something. " Wait, who is this Aeris you speak of?" he asked.

" Aeris Darkblade is none other than the Death Knight who lead the Dark Legion in their previous campaign. After amassing his forces like his father previously did, he launched a campaign against us. Oh, I ran my blade through him, but I never convinced myself he died that day," Aesis replied. " You must think I'm weird…after all, how can a man who was stabbed through the chest with my swords live, after I rend his body to pieces?"

" No…maybe not…remember, I did die once," Azaroth replied. " Maybe…he got resurrected the same way I did…Tyranus, she's helping him, right?"

" A plausible theory, but not what I was thinking about…" Aesis replied.

" What do you mean?" Azaroth asked.

Aesis kept silent, deciding not to answer him at this point. Azaroth never got the chance to ask, or pursue the matter, because the rest of their troops came out from the inn, making some noise as they came out. Flick and Camelia were talking to one another, while Vardred and Sandy exited after them. However, they were not alone apparently. Harken, Nirvana and Mir followed them from behind, and from their serious expressions, especially Nirvana's, Azaroth figured Harken got into a spot of trouble once more.

" Is this all we are going to have for this expedition?" Aesis asked.

" Er..." Harken mused.

" Never mind what I just said, it was rhetorical," Aesis replied. The last to exit was Deinelle, closing the door as she exited the place. " Come, let's go. We need to check some things out."

---

" Eww, what's this horrendous musky smell that's piercing my nostrils?" Vermillion scowled.

" Well, this place has been untouched for some time, and decay is inevitable. I guess this is what happens when you leave things to rot, huh?" Semilia replied.

Vermillion took a look around. Both of them were still in the abandoned elf city, and despite an interruption from Falkes, they were still keen on pressing onwards. Semilia guided her around the place, and she ended up entering a lone tree in the middle of the city. The insides of the gigantic tree had been hollowed out to serve as a massive room within. The smelly musk of rotting wood and dust hit Vermillion when Semilia opened the doors of the room.

Vermillion was greeted by a massive library. Rows and rows of books were lined by the shelves, and the shelves were lined by the sides of the circular room, rising over more than hundreds of feet up above. Long, wooden stairs spiraled all around the place, giving access to the books lined higher up. Vermillion had never seen a library this large or extensive, although that was an ironic thought. She was never a studious one, nor had any fancy for books, unlike other people like Tryzen. In fact, this was probably her first time stepping into one, as far as she could remember.

" Holy cow!" Vermillion gasped.

" Welcome to our library...since our people are long gone, no one comes to this place to gather knowledge, but rather, this place only gathers dust, along with memories," Semilia replied. " Was Falkes here? And if so, was he specifically looking for something?"

" Are we supposed to find something here?" Vermillion asked. The rest of Semilia's pet companions entered the library, looking all around. From the looks on their faces, it probably wasn't the first time they came in here.

Semilia took out a scrap of paper and showed it to Vermillion. Taking a closer look, Vermillion noticed an odd symbol being scrawled on it. It looked like a spiked cross of sorts, embedded in a circle and two triangles by its side.

" It's an elf letter, which I am sure you won't recognise," Semilia replied. " However, I'm looking for books with this symbol by their side. If you spot one, take it and be so kind to bring it to me, will you?"

The rest of them set off to find the said books, and Vermillion quickly joined them. Peineya went back and forth, bringing ones on the lower level to Semilia. Picking one of the dusty seats, she sat down and started to browse through one of the books. It didn't take too long, as Semilia merely looked through the pages for several minutes before setting them aside, picking up the next book.

Vermillion took her time to browse around the area, not that she could read any of the words in the books. All of it was written in the elvish language, so there was no possible way for her to read it. A sudden interesting thought occurred to her.

" Hey, Semilia, normally with other elves, you'd converse with them in ...erm, your elvish language, right?" Vermillion asked while she looked around the remaining books, which were still plenty in number.

" Yes, for we do not speak human, although we do attempt to learn your crude language..." Semilia replied. Vermillion wondered if that was some sort of an insult.

" So ...urm...hmm..."

" What is it that's bothering you?" Semilia asked.

" ...How do you pronounce your name in Elven language?" Vermillion asked.

Semilia didn't respond, until about several seconds later when she placed down her book and looked upwards at where Vermillion was, a quizzical look on her face. " Why the sudden interest?" Semilia asked.

" Well, I was just interested, you know...what your name sounds like in your language...oh, come on, amuse me," Vermillion pleaded.

Semilia didn't reply, but merely picked up another book to browse through. Vermillion waited patiently, as if knowing she would reply eventually. Semilia took a deep breath, before saying " Very well, since you are nice enough to help me out, I shall amuse you with my real name. It's pronounced: Iysliaviel, Iysliaviel Vlyiantirious."

" So, why don't you go by this name?" Vermillion asked.

" ...It's long, humans can't pronounce it properly most of the time, and I hate it. It was a name I discarded a long time ago when I took up the name Semilia Nighthound," Semilia casually replied. Vermillion could not figure out why she would hate her own name, as if it was some sort of a curse. There was a tint of heaviness in her voice, telling Vermillion there was a history to her name somehow.

" It's decided!" Vermillion exclaimed loudly.

" What is?" Semilia asked casually.

" A new nickname for you! I think I'll call you Is," Vermillion replied.

"...Please don't..." Semilia replied, although she didn't sounded like she really objected to the idea of a nickname thought by Vermillion at the spur of the moment.

" Yeah, she's known as Pippy anyway..." Obelisk replied, before receiving a book towards her face, courtesy of Semilia.

" How about it?!" Vermillion exclaimed.

" ...Do as you wish..." Semilia answered after a while. Vermillion grinned happily, before resuming her search. Patch merely growled softly, before turning to look at his master, probably confused as to why there was a wide smile on her face, as if something good had just happened.

-

Azaroth didn't think he would be back here for the third time today, but he figured that it was the way things roll today. Once again, he was back in the deep, dank caves in the Payon Underground. He was here previously during their last search, once more when he came back to retrieve his broken sword, and for the final time when Aesis decided to search the place. Except this time, they went in even further, Aesis didn't even bother to check the place where they fought, but merely lead the way when he continued forward, going deeper and deeper into the caves. Azaroth wondered if they would eventually reach the end of the caves, and be forced to turn back.

" Azy, amuse me, why are you not carrying your Haedonggum with you?" Aesis spoke all of a sudden while moving, holding the burning torch high above his head as if to lead the way.

" I...wait one bloody moment, Azy!?" Azaroth exclaimed loudly. Deinelle winced as his loud voice echoed all around the place, bouncing off the walls and into her ears.

" Yeah, Azy...isn't that what everybody calls you...Selene uses it," Aesis replied non-chalantly.

" You've got to be kidding me. I don't think you know me well enough to call me Azy..." Azaroth growled softly.

" Oh...a nickname, I see..." Vardred snickered.

" Don't get any ideas, for I will pull rank on you..." Azaroth snarled.

" ...Heh, don't worry about it....right, Harken?" Vardred laughed. Harken merely snickered with Vardred, as if both guys were sharing a personal joke. Azaroth could bet his money that his platoon is not going to be calling him captain anymore after this is over.

" ...My sword broke..." Azaroth replied, sighing.

" ...How...it got snapped in two...?" Aesis replied.

" I assume I never got into much detail about my fight with this 'Death Knight', huh?" Azaroth replied.

" No, you did not," Aesis merely replied, continuing forward. " But I can guess...haven't you managed to find a replacement sword?"

" ...Is there a need for one?" Azaroth asked.

" Having used two swords throughout your life, you would not be at your best with a mere lone sword. This I know, for I learn from experience," Aesis replied. " Why don't you get a new sword in the meantime before you fix your sword, or find a replacement?"

" Bah, I don't want to. I've been using the sword for years. I'll either use it or not use anything at all...I'll be fine, really. I'm still dangerous enough with one sword," Azaroth answered.

" Dangerous, but not lethal," Aesis corrected him, grinning slightly. Azaroth could almost imagine the rest of them grinning and giggling behind his back, which would what they would be typically doing at this moment in such a situation.

Azaroth heard a clatter somewhere, and he turned to look at the side. He could see, with the light they had, some munaks and bonguns hopping around at the distance. From where they were, they were too far away to want to bother them, but they would attack if they approached them any closer. Azaroth noticed some animals scurrying in the dark, and some of their eyes glowing in the dark as they walked through the place. He had some ominous feeling about it, like the creatures that dwell in the caves were avoiding them on purpose.

All of them walked silently, not talking much. After what happened today, everyone was on the alert, wary of another attack. Aesis and Deinelle's presence seemed to make them feel a little more comfortable, but anything can happen. Azaroth kept one of his hands on the sheath of his sword, ready to draw it quickly at any moments notice.

" Can you sense anything?" Aesis asked.

" No...why?" Deinelle muttered quietly.

" I seem to be able to feel something...well, that's not much, but..." Aesis replied. Azaroth wondered if he wanted to scare them somehow, as if he was in a haunted place. It was literally a haunted place, with it's old bloody history and scores of people over the centuries who had entered the caves and never being able to exit it.

Aesis pushed on, leading the way while holding the torch high over his head. They had been walking for a while now, and the light around the area seem to become dimmer and dimmer as time went by, as if the cave was swallowing up the light as they went. Harken looked around with shifty eyes, the young swordsman getting more and more terrified of his surroundings with each step he took, and Nirvana shook her head in a disapproving manner.

" Draw your weapons, men," Aesis replied, taking out of of his broadswords and holding it in his free hand. The rest of them complied, although there was nothing dangerous that was obviously visible around the place. Aesis didn't look took bothered anyway, keeping his pace even, just now with a weapon in hands, but nobody else wanted to ask why, or what was it that he had sensed that needed them to be armed.

Aesis continued to walk forward without stopping, until they all reached an area that was brightly lit. Azaroth winced as he took a peek at what was in front of him. Someone had apparently lit a bunch of torches and stuck them to the surrounding walls in the form of a circle, as if preparing for some sort of a ritual. Certainly, someone had set this up previously, and from the look of the torches, it looked recent.

" Welcome, my guests...it indeed has been a long time..." a deep, dark and rather metallic voice replied to them. " So good to see you again, Aesis..."

" ...Same cannot be said to you though..." Aesis replied in scornful voice.

Footsteps could be heard as someone walked towards them. Azaroth raised his sword, suddenly feeling a dangerous and deadly presence approach him all of a sudden. Footsteps came to a sudden halt at the edge of the perimeter of light given out by the torches around the area, thus only showing a silhouette of the person who spoke to them. Aesis flung the torch in front of him, lighting up the area in front of him, showing them who this person was when the torch hit the ground.

" ...You..." Deinelle gasped.

-

Semilia still browsed through all the collection of books, apparently unable to find whatever she was looking for. There was a massive pile of books next to her, none of them being able to give her the information she needed, thus they were discarded aside like trash. Vermillion came down, bringing a few books along with her, before placing them next to Semilia. From the looks of it, Semilia probably isn't going to bother about keeping the books back where they originally belong.

" Still haven't found what you are looking for?" Vermillion asked. Semilia merely shook her head, flipping the pages of the green books she was reading through, before discarding it like the rest of the pile. " Why don't we help you with your search?"

" Well, not trying to insult your intelligence, but it's not like you, or the rest of them, know how to read this language anyway... you are helping enough by picking the books..." Semilia replied.

" But we have gone through at least over several hundred already...I mean, you should have a catalog somewhere where we can check out what you want specifically..." Vermillion objected.

" But..."

" Yoohoo!"

They were suddenly interrupted by Obelisk's annoying voice, which called to them from above. He was at the top-most level of the library, near the very end, looking down at them. His face was but a speck when he looked down at them. Patch merely barked loudly when he spoke before lying down next to Semilia's feet.

" Hey, I have something interesting here..." Obelisk replied.

Semilia sighed loudly and returned to checking her books. Iris glared up at him and hissed menacingly. " Shut up, you haven't brought a single book down. You think we are here to play? Just shut up and get back to work..."Iris replied.

Obelisk thought for a while. " I get your point...never mind...I thought a missing book might be important..." he muttered, before moving away to do whatever he was doing previously.

Semilia shot to her feet in an instant and yelled " What!?"

Obelisk leaned over the railing, looking down at her again. "...Urm, I said there is a book missing..."

Semilia immediately stormed up the stairs, taking three stairs with each step, storming upwards with Vermillion close behind her. Her footsteps echo around the library as she continued upwards, until she reached the spot where Obelisk stood, pointing towards one of the shelves. Sure enough, there was a book missing from the shelf. Semilia frowned as she observed the empty spot.

" What does this mean?" Vermillion asked.

Semilia looked at the side of the shelf, before running her hand across the remaining books as if to feel for what the books could tell them at this point. " A lot..." she declared. " This should explain a lot of things, things that I wish would not happen. Come, we have to return to the capital. This is beyond my ability to remedy. I need to tell your King, or your commanding officer. Someone, or anyone. Rune-Midguard is in great peril!"

" All because of a missing book?" Vermillion asked, sounding dumb-founded.

" Especially because of a missing book, this one in particular," Semilia answered.


	33. Chapter 32: Declaration of War

**Chapter 32: Declaration of War**

" My, my, after my long absence, is this how you greet me?" the man spoke to them.

Azaroth didn't know why, but his hands immediately went to his sword, priming himself to strike within any moments notice. He did not know why, but he felt himself being mentally pressured somewhat, like something dangerous was standing right in front of him, ready to strike him down with just a snap of a finger. Harken was gripping his sword so hard it looked like he might just pass out any second.

The man that stood before him was huge, in fact about as large, or bigger than Aesis. He had some demonic-looking armour that was displayed proudly towards them as he pushed his chest out with utmost pride, with symbols and sigils being carved on the armour, with sharp spikes protruding at various areas. Right next to him was a massive broadsword that was as large as the person himself. Azaroth had no idea how it would be physically possible to carry that weapon and use it in combat, because from just the looks of it, it looks like it weighs a ton. More importantly, just like today, there was a large, sickly looking eye glaring back at him, a sign that it was a Reverent. Thus, the man was none other than a Death Knight.

However, this was nothing like the Death Knight he encountered today. While he faced the previous opponent like just a regular one, he somehow felt different, like this one was releasing an aura of a whole different level. It was so intense he felt as if he lets his guard down for just a second, his head would start rolling on the ground, cut off from the base of his neck. He tried to breathe steadily against this oppressive aura as Aesis took a step forward, glaring at the man that stood before him.

" ...Honestly, I am not pleased to see you..." Aesis answered.

" But then again, you were expecting me, weren't you? After all, you had done your preparations, performed certain tasks...you most certainly used them to the very last, those 'Accursed' men from the Kydorin," the man replied.

" ...You knew..." Aesis muttered, mainly to himself.

Azaroth eyed Aesis suspiciously, wondering what was up this time. Men from the Kyrodin. Azaroth had to guess he was talking about the Kyrodin Guild, the guild from where his supposed father was from. Aesis never mentioned much of the guild, and since the event two years ago, Azaroth didn't really picked it up, but now, this man's words piqued his interests.

" Most certainly I did. After all, my agents are still active..." he answered.

" There is nothing more for you to fight for. I can hardly expect you to command the Legion as you did before. I crushed them, and we had been crushing the remnants of whatever that remained of it for all these years now. You can't expect me to believe that you would want to take over Rune-Midguard once more," Aesis answered.

The man answered in a deafening roar that almost threw Azaroth backwards. " Of course I shall continue! This world shall knell before me, even if it takes a thousand years, this world shall be mine!" the man exclaimed excitedly, like some cliched warlord bent on world domination. " You have seen the extent of my powers, Aesis. I cannot be killed...not now, not ever..."

Aesis suddenly shot forward, swinging his arms forward, his broadsword swinging right at the man's head. Azaroth knew it wasn't going to work, since the man didn't even flinched. The sword passed through his neck, and his body wavered slightly, but nothing more. Aesis stepped forward and pressed his hand into the man's body. It sank right in, as if the body was made up of smoke.

_A projection?_ Azaroth thought.

" Unfortunately, this is but a mere projection. My spell isn't complete, but it shall be soon. I shall await for that time when we shall wash this world in fire. This my declaration of war against humanity, against this world," the man replied laughing, before suddenly looking at Azaroth. " And you..."

" ...Me?" Azaroth mused.

" You shall be my pivotal piece. As useless as you are, you shall be my important piece," the man replied, before fading from view, only leaving his echo behind. " My tools shall be ready, and ready they shall be. Tonight, we shall feast!"

Nothing was left besides the torches. Aesis merely knocked them off the wall, and started pacing in circles. Azaroth thought it was funny that he had almost had the shit scared out of him by a projection, a figure that wasn't there. Deinelle seemed to be shaking slightly.

" ...Aesis, what's the meaning of this?! Did you know this all along?!" Deinelle demanded. Aesis didn't answer. " Answer me!"  
Aesis spun on her in an instant.

" And what, would the world believe me if I said Aeris lives when I was the one who impaled his body to death?!" he exclaimed.

-

" Hey..."

Melanie woke up instantly, jerking her head back up. She wasn't really asleep, but was close to dosing off on the table. The instant she heard the voice, she woke up instantly, although the fatigue still lingered in her head. Looking around, she saw the three empty cups of coffee mugs left on the table. Apparently despite her efforts, she still could not stay awake.

" Hey..."

Melanie responded to the voice. Reinne had apparently regained consciousness, and was moving slightly in her bed. Melanie got up, feeling her body as heavy as ever, before walking up to the bed where her commander lay.

" Up already?" Melanie asked.

Reinne turned her head slightly, looking up at a tired and fatigued crusader. Reinne looked a little weak due to the loss of blood and energy. She was conscious, but her eyes were only half-opened and half focused. Melanie felt something wrap itself around her hand, and looked down to see Reinne slipping her hand to hold hers, the fingers slightly cold.

" Get some sleep…" Reinne spoke to her.

" Sleep? What the heck is that?" Melanie answered, trying to be cheeky.

The door creaked slightly, and Melanie turned her head to see who had entered, only to see the empty corridor displayed before her. Wondering what was up, she walked outside and took a look around. Nobody was around, not a soul. They were either in their rooms, or sleeping soundly right now.

Yet something didn't feel right. To be more precise, something didn't 'smell' right.

" …Something wrong?" Reinne asked softly.

" No, not at all…nothing to worry about…" Melanie answered before closing the door and walking back inside.

It was just the spur of the moment that she tilted her head upwards. She kept getting goosebumps thinking what exactly would have happened if she did not. Right above her was a humanoid figure, bent in an unnatural fashion, stuck to the ceiling. It had an unnatural skin tone, grayish black, while its dark hair covered its face. The moment Melanie looked up towards it, it dropped down with an amazing agility.

Melanie barely had enough time to raise her hands to defend herself as the Injustice dropped down on her like a hawk striking its prey. The katars wielded to its hands sank into her steel gloves, knocking her to the ground. Melanie was slightly disorientated, and she tried her best to prepare herself for the Injustice's next strike, but it didn't come. In fact, the weight that was pinning her down moved off her body. She suddenly realized that she was not the intended target, but Reinne was.

" Shit!"

She blamed it on adrenaline, since she had nothing else to work on to explain her actions. Jumping up to her feet in an instant, she leaped at the Injustice heading towards Reinne's bed and tackled it, hard. Both of them went crashing through the nearby window, Melanie feeling all the glass cut against her face as she went crashing into the open, feeling herself land on the cold, wet grass outside.

She raised her hand, and without hesitating, slammed her palm hard on the Injustice's face, and crushed it like a melon, her hands breaking its skull. It cracked open like an eggshell, the cranium bone like glass in Melanie's hand. It took her a while before she suddenly realized that her hand was covered in a sticky goo of what was left of the Injustice's brain. The black, soggy stuff seeped through her fingers and dirtied the floor.

" Ugh…"

Melanie spun around to see Reinne try to get out of bed, hobbling slightly as she tried to get towards the window, obviously agitated at whatever that had just happened.

" Commander, don't! I'm…"

Melanie couldn't finish her sentence, because she was looking right behind Reinne, where another Injustice stood behind her, ready to finish her off. Her mind went blank as the Injustice raised its arms, the katars in its hands gleaming under the moonlight.

Something exploded, and Melanie felt the flame and heat singe her sides as something hot flew past her. She raised her hands in a reflex action, but the thing that flew past her would have hit her regardless of whether she reacted then or not, but it missed anyway. Right after that, she could hear voices shouting amidst the crackling flame.

" …You could have…seriously…killed…someone!" Sapphire's voice could be heard screaming, punctuating each word.

" My aim is perfect…ouch, don't hit me!" Tryzen's voice replied.

" Mel, are you alright?" a voice asked.

Melanie opened her dust covered eyes to see Meillienne standing next to her. Apparently Tryzen blasted the Injustice to smithereens, and it blew a hole in the wall of the room, sending it outside. Meillienne climbed over the newly made exit and went to check on Melanie.

" I'm fine…but how the heck did these Injustices enter this place…?" Melanie asked.

" Beats me, but they seem to be crawling all over the place," Grimjaw answered.

" They are?" Melanie asked.

" Not Injustices per se, but I do smell a lot of undead…training from my experiences inside the Pyramids and my encounters with mummies. The undead smell, and I can smell them walking all over town," Grimjaw replied.

Just as he finished his sentence, there was a ghostly wail all around town, a highly inhuman cry.

" Well, just as I said," Grimjaw replied, lighting a cigarette and taking a deep long breath before exhaling smoke from his mouth. " …What now?"

" We need to deal with this. Get whatever remaining troops up, now!" Melanie replied, signaling to Sapphire. She tore off with Tryzen, disappearing behind the door. " I just don't understand how the heck they could get so many undead creatures here…"

" The seal…" Reinne spoke, her voice slightly in pain.

" What?!" Melanie asked.

" The seal in then Payon caves…have you forgotten…the magic seal in the Payon caves…" Reinne replied.

Melanie was suddenly reminded of a large, glowing red seal that was etched to the ground, and the screaming cries of death from her fallen comrades and the swarm of undead. " Wait, are you suggesting that they put a seal here, somewhere in this city, and it's drawing these undead in droves towards this place?!" Melanie demanded.

" I cannot find another explanation for it…" Reinne replied. " It would make sense why they want me taken care off…" Reinne replied, before dropping slightly on the wall next to her by the broken wall, Grimjaw catching her in time before she bumped her head badly on the floor. It would make perfect sense, Melanie thought. After all, only Reinne could break such a seal.

" But it's impossible to force you to break the seal now in your condition!" Melanie exclaimed.

" No, but someone else can," Reinne answered, before nodding her head in Meillienne's direction.

" Me?!" Meilienne exclaimed in surprise.

Reinne waved to Meillienne to ask her to come closer. Meillienne timidly took several steps forward. Leaning over, Reinne whispered something into the acolytes ear, then looked at her in the eye and nodded.

" That's…so simple…" Meillienne replied.

" I know…brilliant, isn't it? Now, go find this seal. I suspect whoever is responsible left it in the middle of the city. Find it, and neutralize it. I've thought you how…" Reinne replied.

" What?! My sister cannot simply neutralize a seal that can summon zombies!" Grimjaw yelled.

" Yes, she can, and she will, because other than her or me, it would be close to impossible to neutralize it, unless we had a lot of time," Reinne replied. " Go!"

" You can't seriously…" Grimjaw stammered.

" Urm, let's just go…we don't have much time to waste…" Meillienne replied.

" But…"

" Aww, shucks…" Meillienne muttered, before trotting off towards some direction towards the west.

" Damn it!" Grimjaw exclaimed, running after his sister at top speed, catching up to her in no time. Melanie turned around, only to see Reinne ask her to go off. She could hear footsteps coming from all over the inn, so the rest of their available troops must be up right now. She will need to bank on them to guard Reinne for now, because Meillienne took priority. Turning around, she tore off after Grimjaw and Meillienne, drawing her sword as she prepared for a blood fest.

-

Meillienne looked all around them. Nothing much has gathered, but she did see a few zombies walking about, and one Wraith at a distance. She avoided them all, no wanting to pick a fight. Reinne had just told her instructions to deal with this 'seal'. Thus, her main task was to find it, and fix it. Following her close from behind was her brother and Melanie, both of them armed.

" Where is it? Where is this seal?" Meillienne muttered to herself.

" What the heck is it supposed to look like?" Grimjaw asked.

" Look for something on the ground, which should represent a large circle, and it's glowing," Melanie answered. " Honestly, I don't think it should be that difficult to find."

" You mean that?" Grimjaw asked.

Both Meillienne and Melanie looked at the direction Grimjaw was pointing at. Right at the home of the former Mayor of Payon, there was a bright glow of red that could be seen from the blast Tryzen had made earlier today. The reddish glow was coming from inside the house, pulsating slightly.

" Probably," Melanie answered, running immediately towards the house. Too much adrenaline was pumping through her body right now for her to feel any less sleepy. She barged through the house, knocking aside the door as she entered the house. Right before her, mixed with pools of blood, was the very same seal she saw in the Payon caves.

" What is it doing here?" Meillienne asked.

" I don't know, and I guess someone set this up recently. We didn't see it when we got here," Grimjaw replied.

" Either that, it was already set her and recently activated. Well, Meillienne, the faster you deal with this, the faster I can feel at ease, so get to work," Melanie replied. " I hate to see this thing linger too long here, least it starts drawing more and more undead to this place." She scanned her eyes around the area. As far as she was concerned, she could not see any undead lingering around the place. So far, so good.

Meillienne immediately knelt down next to the seal, pressed two fingers upon it, and closed her eyes. No chanting, no obvious output of energy. She merely knelt on the ground and pressed the seal with two fingers. Grimjaw was expecting something remotely complicated, but this was not the case. He wondered if Princess Reinne was lucid when she gave Meillienne her instructions.

" Here they are…" Melanie replied.

Grimjaw turned around to see some zombies shuffling towards their direction, some armed with weapons, some without. Regardless, they were now moving towards the Mayor's house, or perhaps more specifically, the seal on the ground. It was as if they were sensing that Meillienne was about to destroy it, and they came back here to protect it somewhat.

Melanie boldly stepped outside, gripping her shield and weapon hard. " Grimjaw, stick with your sister, and stick to her close. I'll deal with this pieces of trash outside," she replied in a bold manner, before stepping outside.

-

" So, how is this even possible?" Azaroth asked.

" Aeris used an Immortality Spell…" Aesis answered curtly, sounding tired, as if he had just repeated this response for a hundred times the last hour.

" …Resurrection?" Flick asked.

" Hardly. Aeris is a creature of pure darkness. Using a resurrection spell would rip him to shreds, his physical body and his soul as well. What he did was to cast a Immortality Spell on himself," Aeris responded.

Deinelle folded her hands and glared at Aeris. " Care to explain this to me?" she demanded, looking as if she was ready to lob a few heads off.

" …I never did convince myself that Aeris died that day…it wasn't that Tessa did a bad job out of it, it was more towards the fact that he was already prepared at that point. What he did was a cast a powerful seal on himself. Once his body is destroyed, the seal will activate, keeping his soul in this world. Thus, this leaves his free to take his time to get his body back," Aesis answered.

" This is bullshit. There does not exist a spell this insane in Rune-Midguard!" Harken replied loudly.

" …Who ever said this spell originated from Rune-Midguard?" Aesis asked, raising an eyebrow. Azaroth wondered what he meant. If it didn't come from Rune-Midguard, their world, does it mean that it originated from somewhere else? Was Aesis referring to other dimensions?

" But, logically speaking, he is only a soul. If his original body is destroyed, it would be impossible for him to go back, or to resurrect himself, so to speak," Vardred replied. " Even if his soul were to linger around, wouldn't it be impossible to bring him back to life?"

" In a manner of speaking, yes. But, before he died, he crafted some vessels," Aesis answered.

" …What?" Azaroth mused.

" Vessels. In short, temporary bodies in which he could store his soul. They were basically human constructed bodies in which he made himself compatible with. Thus, whenever he wants, he can insert himself, as a soul, to reside as a temporary body. He cannot switch much because switching bodies would be equivalent pain to ripping his soul apart, not to mention his body he was previously residing in would be totally wrecked, plus, I suspect he didn't have much bodies to switch as for now. As for his other bodies, I know where they are, so if he plans of switching, we can destroy it," Aesis replied.

" So…in short, he has basically resurrected himself as of now?" Brek asked.

" No, not quite. This temporary body he has will corrode quickly, and will not last long. He will have to shift bodies, but each time he shifts the duration in which he can keep the body becomes shorter. Thus, he needs to build himself a permanent body of his own," Aesis replied. " Which is the exact purpose of those red seals you see that seem to be popping up all over the place."

Azaroth did a double-take. " You mean those are ritual circles to bring him to life?!" he exclaimed in shock.

" In short, yes. The ones we saw were prototypes, tests, and basically, failures in which he had no use of. I was under the impression he had managed to summon himself back into the real world some time ago. Aeris Darkblade, the Deathknight, walks again. I can assure you of that," Aesis replied, his voice sending a chill down everyone's spine.

" Then…if he has been brought back to life, why are all these seals popping up here and there?" Azaroth asked.

" A side effect of the seal is that it draws undead in droves towards it. I bet he is just using it's secondary ability now," Aesis answered.

Deinnelle stepped up to him and glared angrily.

" When did you find all this out?! Tell me!" Deinelle demanded in a loud voice.

Aesis looked sheepishly aside, before scratching his head and saying " …One week ago…"


	34. Chapter 33: Rise of the Dark Legion

**Chapter 33: Rise of the Dark Legion**

Melanie swung her sword with all her might, and the blade neatly lobbed off a head of a zombie that was approaching her. It went sailing in the air, and the animated body dropped to the ground, and instead of bright red blood spurting out from the severed arteries, black ooze seeped out from the severed neck, thick, sticky and dirty. Melanie paid little attention to the fallen enemy. After all, she had other matters to attend to.

She turned around and walked towards her next target, picking it specifically from the crowd. The zombies were simple ones, mindless simpletons that merely stumbled along, harmless in her eyes, yet potentially dangerous if they started to swarm around in the tens. Melanie was cutting them down as they came, not wanting them to mob the house, but not wanting to go too far least something happens to Meillienne.

She stole a quick glance at the girl. The girl had not moved an inch, still kneeling in front of the seal. Melanie noticed she didn't seem overly frightened, and was doing her job calmly. She figured some normal acolyte her age would be fumbling, or shaking with fright slightly. Perhaps her kidnapping event had forced her to grow a backbone, or either that life in Morroc had taught her to hardened her nerves.

The tiredness was still in her body, since Melanie lacked rest, but now the fatigue seemed to be temporarily lost. Perhaps it was due to the shot to adrenaline she seemed to be experiencing right now from fighting and killing the undead that were approaching her. She wondered how long she could possibly last now. She prayed that she could last long enough.

-

Grimjaw's eyes scanned the area like an eagle, wary of any attack from any direction. He noticed an increase of undead activity outside the house, and Melanie was dealing with that problem. It was as if they were starting to swarm the house slowly. Grimjaw hoped that Meillienne would complete whatever she was doing as quick as possible.

He figured if she should say something, perhaps a word of encouragement, although he held back, least he disrupted the spell, or whatever Meillienne was doing to destroy the seal. However, he figured it probably wasn't anything complex, from the length of the directions Reinne gave, and whatever Meillienne seemed to be doing.

A sudden presence made him flick out his daggers, and looked left. Apparently there was this Wraith hanging by the door, its jaw on its body crackling with what sounded like maniacal laughter. His hands flew upwards, and the two daggers went flying towards the Wraith, sinking into it's chest. It gave a groan, and staggered back, and Grimjaw took this opportunity to leap at it, his Gladius and Damascus both in his hands. Dropping down on it, he ripped the Wraith's chest apart, sinking the blades into its chest and pulling out the blades hard, as if his life depended on it. Its mangled body dropped lifeless upon the floor, its innards spilled all over the place.

Spinning back, he spotted two munaks climb in from the broken wall, with a murderous intent in their eyes, looking directly at the acolyte. Grimjaw flung his knives at the munaks, both hitting them squarely in the chest. He reached the closest one and grabbed the handle of the Damascus, ripping it out from her chest, before reaching for his Gladius and doing the same, both Munaks falling to the ground, dead. While this happened, Meillienne didn't move one inch, despite all the commotion, still in deep concentration.

" Tch…" Grimjaw muttered, taking out a cigarette and lighting it quickly since he had a short break now. He took a deep breath, allowing the narcotics to fill his lungs, before looking around for the next raid.

-

Melanie panted slightly, feeling a little dizzy. She had not fought much, but the fatigue was getting more and more pronounced. Her swings lacked her usual power and vigour, although perhaps it didn't really matter too much now since the undead didn't seem to want to press an attack. They either avoided her, or were not advancing. Melanie wondered whether it was a good thing or not.

She stole a glance at Meillienne to see how she was doing. The young acolyte was still kneeling on the ground, still trying to complete her spell. Melanie wanted to grumble about the time she was apparently taking, but she then reconsidered after remembering that it took 5 minutes for Princess Reinne to complete her spell. If a High Priestess needed 5 full minutes to deal with a seal this complex, it would most likely take more time for an acolyte to fix this problem. She just had to be patient.

" Done…" Meillienne replied.

" What?!" Melanie and Grimjaw exclaimed in unison.

Meillienne merely got to her feet and brushed off the dust on her attire, and as Melanie observed the seal on the ground, it started to vanish, as if disappearing, sinking deep into the floor. It only took a few seconds after Meillienne's declaration before the red glowing seal was gone, with no trace that it was ever on the floor.

" Impressive…" Grimjaw replied, taking a deep breath on his cigarette. Melanie wanted to comment the next impressive stunt of that day was him lighting a cigarette under such circumstances and in such short notice. " So, these undead shits should leave, right?"

" I'm not so sure…" Melanie replied. There were a couple of zombies walking about in the city still, although from all the noises people were starting to get up already. " If possible, I'd like to find out who the hell placed these things here in the first place. If we don't get to the bottom of this quickly, we'll be getting these zombies proliferating out of nowhere all over the place, and we obviously cannot have that."

" Precisely…" a voice replied.

The voice gave Melanie pause, before she slowly turned around to face Grimjaw. " Did you say that?" she asked, but from the way he was looking around with his weapons in hand, it was obvious that he did not.

" It is not the rogue that spoke, Melanie Stryfort, but me," the voice continued, echoing around the place. Meillienne got spooked by this unknown voice that was speaking to them, and she went up to her brother and clung on to his clothing. " It is foolish to assume that you have done your part here now that the seal is gone. Prepare yourself!"

With a loud yell, she was thrown off her feet as the ground beneath her started to shake, before a massive object started to break the surface of the soil. She landed on her back painfully, just as she saw a shadow rise in front of her, blocking the moon as it rose like a dark, sleeping beast that had just awoken from its slumber. Grimjaw took a step back when he saw it, pushing Meillienne backwards as she quivered at the sight of the monster in front of her.

A large body of metal and steel, which had dried blood rusting upon its exterior, stood before Melanie's fallen body, with a shield that was as large as a wall, paired with a spiked blade that was twice the size of Melanie. Her eyes opened in shock and apprehension while the villagers around her started to scream at the sight of the abomination.

" Now, child of Stryfort, you shall prove your worth!" the Blood Knight spoke to her, before raising its sword.

A loud, ear-splitting crack could be heard, and all of a sudden, a powerful spark of lighting hit the raised sword, before the lighting was conducted through the Blood Knight's metallic body. Melanie saw the electric currents run through its body, crackling with energy, but seemingly doing nothing to the Blood Knight except to make smoke escape from its body. The Blood Knight turned around before giving a tremendous roar and started to charge at Tryzen, who was standing some distance away.

" Oh, snap…" Tryzen muttered to himself.

Despite the Blood Knight's humongous size, it could carry itself pretty quickly, and within a couple of seconds, it closed the distance between Tryzen and itself by half. Melanie could only imagine a monster of his size traveling at such at such speeds would carry a hell lot of force when it hit something, and Tryzen would be dead if the monster does as much as graze him.

Tryzen was done with his second spell, and he snapped his fingers in front of him to complete it. The ground in front of the Blood Knight started to become soft and mushy as Tryzen completed his Quagmire spell, but it was hardly enough to stop the rampaging beast, as he walked through it like it was on solid ground. Out of desperation, Tryzen formed as many ice walls as he could in front of him. The Blood Knight merely crashed through them as if they were made of glass, but it slowed him down enough for Tryzen to jump aside, as he sent himself flying to the side, rolling multiple times on the floor. The Blood Knight crashed itself into a house, and the wooden structure took so much damage from the shock that it collapse upon itself.

Tryzen picked himself up, brushing off the dirt on his attire, before catching up with Melanie. " Well, that didn't go off too well…" he replied, as the Blood Knight emerged from the rubble, pieces of wood and cement falling off his back as he rose up once more.

-

" I never did convince myself that I managed to kill Aeris that time, all those years ago when he wrecked havoc with his army over Rune-Midguard. Sure, I ran my blade into his body, but what did that prove? That he was about as human as I was? I never knew why, but despite having him expire in my hands, I couldn't never bring myself to be convinced that he was dead," Aesis replied, pacing back and forth within the caves of Payon.

" Why?" Deinnelle asked.

" …A personal talk with Tessa once before. It had something to do with the ancient Glastheimic magic. Tessa once mentioned Aeris had access to this ancient form of magic, and this worried her somehow. Never got to understand the implications, until late in the war," Aesis replied.

" What? You then realized he had access to a reincarnation spell?" Deinnelle mused.

" Yes, but not quite. He could not use it. Aeris has always been obsessed about possession, and his greatest desire is to become God in this world. Thus, to be God, one needed to become immortal," Aesis explained. " However, as far as I have researched, this reincarnation spell is so advance, it isn't possible for him to recreate it."

" That's a bit preposterous," Brek suddenly replied, and all their heads turned to him. " As long as the basic instructions are there, and if you have a person with sufficient ability in mastering the arcane abilities, it is possible to recreate ancient spells."

" …As I said, this spell cannot be recreated," Aesis answered back.

" Has this spell been used before?" Brek asked.

" …You just saw Aeris, or at least his image, earlier. It obviously works," Aesis replied.

" Then you said…"

" I said it wasn't possible then. He didn't have the means, well…not yet," Aesis answered. " What, wizard boy, do you know of elven magic?"

-

Melanie gripped her weapon tightly, her shield raised in front of her as she braced herself to attack. She wasn't sure if her heavy, tired arm holding her shield would be much of a defense against this monstrosity, but she sure had to try. If Deinnelle could beat up a Blood Knight with a bare hands, she surely could do better with a sword and a shield, theoretically speaking.

" My magic doesn't seem to be working…" Tryzen replied, shaking his hands.

" I could obviously see that. Use another spell!" Melanie demanded.

" Look, I'm not God, alright? My main field of specialization is fire and lightning. I can utilize other spells, but they are less effective and much less powerful. That guy is made of metal. If lightning is doing nothing to his armour, I bet my fire is going to do nothing as well," Tryzen replied. " But that is not what I actually meant. He's being protected, by some magic barrier of sorts. Not sure who casted this spell on him, or what this barrier is, because it feels foreign to me."

" …Which means you are leaving it to me to deal with this shit?" Melanie asked, looking highly displeased.

Tryzen patted her on her shoulders in a friendly manner. " Well, you are the tougher guy here, so good luck," Tryzen replied, smiling.

The Blood Knight gave a roar, and Melanie turned to face him while Tryzen backed off from it. The Blood Knight charged once more at Melanie, but she suddenly felt something whip past her all of a sudden. A blurry figure moved in front of her, charging at the Blood Knight. The monster raised its sword, and sent it crashing to the ground at an alarming speed, but Grimjaw merely avoided the attack like the nimble rogue he was, and climbed up the Blood Knight's body, using the sword he had struck to the ground as some sort of a plank.

Before the Blood Knight could react, Grimjaw had already bounded himself on the monster's shoulder, and sunk a long dagger into the joints in its armour. It didn't sink in very deep, but he managed to wound it, even if it was a slight wound. The Blood Knight growled angrily, trying to swipe Grimjaw off his shoulder like one would swipe a fly, but Grimjaw was already gone, having jumping off the Blood Knight's shoulder.

He suddenly turned his attention to the female crusader who had valiantly charged up towards him. Her sword now was charged with a brilliant light, a blinding, painful glow of incandescent white rays of light. With a howl, she brought her sword arm down, smashing into the Blood Knight's armour.

There was an amazing explosion, and the field around Melanie erupted in a mighty blast, and the Grand Cross skill she executed hurt even her eyes, forcing her to wince as she blasted the fiend with pure Holy energy. The sword in her hand seem to heat up from all the energy it had collected, and expelled, all at once. She felt her muscles, and heart, strain from the exertion she put onto herself.

" …Were you not listening to me?! I said it was protected by a magic barrier, a foreign magic barrier. This meant no spells, not even Holy ones! God, incompetent people, really!" Tryzen's voice suddenly floated into her hears despite the explosion.

Melanie looked up in shock as she saw her sword merely touching the Blood Knight's armour, not even making so much of a dent. Something hit her hard on her cheek, and it sent her flying aside, crashing painfully on the ground. She tried to get back up as quickly as she could, but she felt a sudden shock of pain in her arm. Her left arm hurt like hell, since it was the arm she landed on when she fell. She staggered quickly to her feet, not wanting to be vulnerable when the time comes.

The ground shook slightly once more as the Blood Knight charged at her. Melanie got up, trying to stand her ground. She was too tired to avoid him from running her over, and she had barely enough strength to withstand another hit.

" Melanie, move!" Grimjaw shouted.

…_No more…I can't fight no more…_

_Lies, you can still fight. Don't you want to fight?_

_Perhaps…_

_Tell the truth…say what you want…_

_Fight…_

" Shit, Melanie, get out of the way!" Grimjaw yelled, spitting his cigarette aside and rushing towards her, despite knowing that at his top speed he would not reach her in time.

_I need to fight back…_

_Say it, say it as if you mean it!_

…_I need to fight back…I need to fight back!_

_Say it! Demand it!_

_I need to fight back!_

_SAY IT!_

" AAAAHHHHH!!!!!"

With a sudden thunderous roar, Melanie spread her legs and braced herself, bringing her shield right up towards her. The Blood Knight thrust his sword upon her, the dark blade striking her shield squarely in the middle, before his entire body came to an entire halt.

Grimjaw's eyes almost popped out from his sockets, while Meillienne and Tryzen dropped their jaw as far as it could go, because all of them just witnessed something incredible. Melanie had stopped the Blood Knight's advance with the remaining strength she had, even forcing it to come to a complete stop. Try as it might, the Blood Knight could not advance any further, as Melanie held him back with sheer strength alone. She glared back at him with a fierce intensity.

" Perfect, perfect!" the Blood Knight exclaimed. Melanie raised her eyebrows, wondering what he was so happy about, but she could not think about it much, since the Blood Knight started to pound away, slamming his massive sword upon Melanie, who had to raise her shield to block the on-coming blows to her head, the impact forcing her backwards. " Show me what you can really do!"

" If you say so!" Melanie yelled, pushing aside the next hit with a powerful shove of her sword, before taking a bold step forward. She had no idea how she managed to obtain that speed to move all of a sudden, despite the lack of energy and pain that was flowing through her body, but she knew that she had to do it. She moved in, and so his her sword arm, along with the sword that she held in her arm. With one powerful swing, she sliced the Blood Knight's sword clean in two, as if the blade were made out of butter.

" …Holy shit, how the hell did she do that?!" Grimjaw gasped as he saw the broken sword drop to the ground, now cut in half.

Yelling incoherently, Melanie started to swing her sword at the Blood Knight, her blade tearing through his armour as if they were made of paper. She knew this wasn't technically possible, since a simple blade could not easily rip through a Blood Knights armour, but she didn't care as long as steel and blood were flying through the air as she ripped through whatever that stood in her way. She kept swinging her sword, until the beast fell, and she climbed on top of it, pointing her bloodied sword right at its face, covered by its dark helm.

" Beautiful…beautiful…so beautiful…" the Blood Knight replied, coughing.

" Beautiful?! What is…?" Melanie asked, just before stopping when she realized what the Blood Knight was referring to.

The sword she was holding was glowing in a dark, purple aura, emitting dark energies. It was surrounded in a glow of a dark, purple haze, and it seem to cackle with energy. All of a sudden, she felt something being sucked out of her hand. She wasn't sure whether the dark blade was sucking out her blood, her life, or her energy, but she was quite sure something from her body was coming out, and entering the sword.

She fell off the monster's body, screaming in agony and terror. She tried to release the blade, but her grip would not be released from the sword's hilt. She tried to pry the sword out of her hand, but it was to no avail. " Argh, what is this?! Get it off me! Get it off me!" she cried.

Grimjaw was the first one next to her. " What the…?!" he gasped, looking at the 'dark' sword she held in her hand.

" I can't release it…help!" Melanie cried.

Grimjaw grabbed her hands and tried to pry it open. His first reaction was to release his grip, because his hands started to hurt all of a sudden, the dark energies making it painful for him to hold on to her hand, but he tried anyway.

" What the hell?! Why can't I get it off?!" Grimjaw shouted.

" Brother! Mel!" Meillienne shouted, running to them.

" Back off!" Grimjaw barked loudly, and it made Meillienne stop in her tracks. " I don't know what the heck is this thing, and I don't want you near it!"

" Shit! This looks…dangerous…" Tryzen mused when he arrived.

" I don't need your comments, just…argh!" Melanie yelled, this time caused by pain. She was having a sudden migraine, although she wasn't sure why. It was as if a small dark hole had opened up in the middle of her skull, and it was sucking the contents of her brain into its deep depths. " Help! Stop this pain! Argh!"

_The price for power…_

_What power?!_

_The power you use…it's not pain you are feeling, it's pleasure…_

_No…_

_Enjoy it, savour it…_

" No, stop speaking to me!" Melanie yelled, clenching her face with her shield arm. " The voices in my head…go away…make them go away.

" She's delirious…" Tryzen commented coolly.

" What do we do?!" Grimjaw demanded.

" What?! You are asking me?!" Tryzen demanded.

" Whatever that his happening to the sword and Melanie is probably caused by some dark magic. Magic, do you hear me! Who is the wizard here?!" Grimjaw shouted, sounding tired and irritated.

" Oh…yeah, I forgot…" Tryzen mused, while Melanie continued to squirm and trash her arms about. " Let's see…body fragments, alignments okay…sign over, dark matter confirmed, arcane scroll transcribed…urm…wait, did I get this right?!"

" What?"

" Knock her unconscious," Tryzen replied.

" That's the best solution you can come up with?!" Grimjaw yelled.

" Look, this is what I found out. She's harnessing some sort of dark magic, from where she got it, I don't know. But all I know is that her body is powering that energy in her sword, and the source of it is coming from her head, or brain. I have no idea how to stop it, and frankly, I'm panicking right now. So, in theory, my best solution is to knock her unconscious. If her brain falls unconscious, it might just stop her," Tryzen explained.

" Stop it! Just stop it!" Melanie screamed, feeling herself going delirious from whatever it was that was currently affecting us. She heard someone say 'sorry' before something hit her in the head hard, and everything went black.


	35. Chapter 34: Azy and Mel

**Chapter 34: Azy and Mel**

" Gah!"

Melanie woke up with a start, only to bump her head on something hard, reeling backwards from the hit, holding her forehead in agony, which was accompanied by a splitting headache. Groaning in pain, she sat up, only to hear a door being busted open, and someone running up to her.

" Oh God, Melanie, are you alright?!" a voice replied, before a pair of hands descended upon her shoulders. Melanie recognized the voice and the soft, gentle hands that had been placed on her shoulders, as they could come from none other than Selene herself.

" …Ugh…where am I?" Melanie asked, feeling a bit sick.

" Relax, you are back in Prontera. Well, you got roughed up a little bit, so we got you back to the capital. You are in the infirmary right now, and you have been sleeping for a couple of days now. How are you feeling?" Selene asked kindly.

" …I feel sick, I've got a splitting headache mixed with a painful forehead…wait, I hit something when I got up…what was it?" Melanie asked.

" I am going to assume that it was Azy, because he seems to be in pain, clutching his forehead, and rolling on the floor on agony," Selene replied calmly, and Melanie leaned against the edge of her bed and peered over the edge, only to see Azaroth on the ground, holding his face with both his hands while moaning in pain.

" …What an idiot…" Melanie replied, moving her body and perching herself at the edge of the bed.

" Urm, don't say that, Melanie. Azaroth has been looking after you all this time. You should be thankful that he stayed with you while you were unconscious," Selene replied.

" Bah, don't sweeten the act," Azaroth replied moodily, getting up while rubbing his forehead. " Only reason I am here is because since she's an invalid, I've got basically nothing to do, besides growing beans in my apartment block. So, I may as well sit around here and just bore myself to death. Least Melanie's funny to play with."

" Excuse me?!" Melanie snarled, only to have Azaroth jump away from her reach.

" Calm down, Melanie. So, what happened? I heard from Grimjaw and Meillienne that you suddenly produced a 'Dark Blade'," Selene replied.

Melanie looked at Selene uneasily. A 'Dark Blade' was a generic term to call a weapon that was infused with Dark energies. Melanie closed her eyes and tried to recall the past events. She remembered slaying a Blood Knight single-handedly, ripping its armour to shreds with her sheer willpower alone. She remembered the weird voice in her head, her own voice, yet somewhat unfamiliar to her.

She shook her head and sighed. " This…is going to sound crazy…" Melanie answered.

Selene looked at her apologetically. " …Does it matter? I doubt I'm going to doubt your statement anyway," Selene answered kindly.

" Heh, I guess so," Melanie replied, while Azaroth folded his arms and watched. " …I don't know how, but I…kept hearing voices in my head…"

" Yeah, and we all know hearing voices in our heads is a bad sign…" Azaroth muttered quietly.

" Hush, you imbecile…go on," Selene replied, silencing Azaroth with a sharp hiss and an even sharper glare.

" …It kept speaking to me, in my own voice. I thought I was just thinking aloud, but now that I think about it, it felt so foreign. Before I knew it, my body just acted on my own, and it started to emit dark energies…I'm not sure how, and I'm not sure why," Melanie replied in a morose manner, looking glum. " …Am I being possessed, or do I just have this innate ability to draw out dark energies?"

" Well, from what I got from listening to Tryzen the last time, unless your Holarian Limit is 100%, everyone here has the innate ability to draw out dark energies. So, you can. The question should be why. Did you come into contact with dark arts?" Azaroth asked.

" …Yes…"

" Have you ever been taken over, or were heavily assaulted by dark magic?"

" …Once, I was hit by multiple spells on a trip to Glastheim…but…"

" Do you dabble in the dark arts?"

" Heavens, no! Who the hell do you think I am?" Melanie demanded, sounding very affronted.

" Nothing to it. You just need to be frank, not pissed," Azaroth replied. " Obviously, I doubt you learn necromancy in your past time, nor do you like dark arts anyway. Thus, the only conclusion I can come up with is that you are somehow infused with dark magic…"

Melanie raised her eyebrows, wondering what Azaroth was implying.

" You know, just like my body. It's not like I practice dark arts, but because Tyranus resurrected me with some wonky magic, and now my body is a partial zombie, with this weird power that allows me to heal quickly. Not that I wanted it, but hey…I guess it's somehow the same scenario with you," Azaroth answered. " Some point in time you might have been injected with a nice dose of dormant dark magic that has slept quietly within your body, until now. So, come one, do you remember when you were ever subjected to such a scenario?"

Melanie thought long and hard. " None, save for that one time where he had to battle Nightmares and Abysmal Knights near Glastheim, and those were only physical injuries I sustained. I'm pretty sure I wasn't soaked in some dark magic spell," Melanie answered.

" Are you sure?" Azaroth asked, making a face.

" Yes, she is. I was there to make sure of it," Selene answered.

Azaroth sat down and folded his arms. " Well then, that cannot be true, because her source of this dark energy has to come from somewhere," he replied." Oh well, it might not be overly important."

" It is, Azy. What do you think the church is going to say of this?!" Selene demanded. Azaroth looked at her in surprise, before giving her a sheepish grin, and scratching his head in shame.

-

" Well, I can't believe I'm back in this junk…" Vermillion muttered.

" …You dislike this place?" Iris asked.

" …I generally dislike a lot of things. Why do you think I beat up stuff?" Vermillion asked.

" Fair enough," Crystal replied.

Semilia and her entourage managed to make it back to Prontera within a couple of days. Semilia had decided to set out the instant she saw the missing book in her library in her forgotten city. Vermillion did not ask for the reason why, and she doubted that Semilia was in the mood to talk about it, so she did her best to refrain from asking what it was all about. They did their best, and they were now back here.

" I need to meet with your Commander," Semilia replied.

" Who? There is a whole bunch of them in the army," Vermillion answered.

" The one who is in charge of the whole army, the one who carries two broadswords on his back," Semilia replied.

" Oh, him…alright, follow me!" Vermillion replied, before leading the way. Semilia followed her, along with her other pet companions, and the people around them moved aside to make way for them, because Patch looked hungry enough to eat them if they got close enough.

-

" …And yeah, nothing much has changed. Teranis has been working on her stuff in Geffen with Tryzen and Sapphire, but I don't have any idea what they are up to anyway," Azaroth replied. " Well, good to see that you are up. It's been boring without you, you know."

Melanie merely gave him a weak smile, before turning away. Her head still hurts a little, but it was just a mild irritant. For the last half an hour, she had been listening to Azaroth recount the past events, like his trip to the Payon caves, and all that had happened in-between. She wasn't really listening to what he said half the time, but she did give her best.

" …You aren't listening to me, are you?" Azaroth asked all of a sudden.

" No, I am…" Melanie replied.

" Oh…prove it…" Azaroth challenged her. " What was my last sentence?"

"…"

" See, you weren't listening," Azaroth replied.

" Azaroth, it may just be me, but tell me honestly…are you somewhat…restless?" Melanie asked. She had been wondering about it, but it did seem odd that Azaroth bothered to stick around her and ramble. He did not do this before, and it was an unusual behavior to her. " Wait, let me guess…your Haedonggum has not been fixed yet, right?!"

Azaroth broke out into a wide grin. " Well, you know me pretty well, don't you?" Azaroth replied. " I'm not much of a swordsman, but really, I guess that sword has been a part of me longer than my parents were. It feels strange when I don't have it near me."

" Dirk Quintos will get it fixed soon enough, so you need to be patient," Melanie replied, taking a sip of warm water. Selene had left them as she had other tasks to perform, so Azaroth was left alone in keeping Melanie company.

Melanie sighed slightly, before putting the cup down. She had heard from Azaroth about the events that transpired within the Payon caves, and the implications of that was serious. Rune-Midguard will most likely fall into chaos once more, despite seeing its fare share of violence and strife over the last few decades.

" …So, figured out how you managed to use that…'Dark Sword'?" Azaroth asked.

Melanie looked at him in a shrewd manner. She disliked talking about it, since it relates to her, and as far as she was concerned, being able to pull out dark magic like that was like some unbearable sin which stuck to her like some irritating glue. She felt tainted, and dirty, and she was worried what people might think of it. Her close friends might not mind it, but what about the public.

" Why are we talking about this again?" Melanie asked, sighing loudly.

It did occur to her that Azaroth was sort of in a similar position as she was. He had this innate ability to recover faster than normal, and this was caused by the same dark magic that flows through her this instant. She looked down at her hand, clenching it tightly. Azaroth didn't have a problem with this, or to put it more bluntly, he didn't really care.

" To put it bluntly, I don't know…all I do know is that I started to hear a voice in my head…it was speaking to me," Melanie replied. " Freaky thing is, the voices sounded like my own, as if I was talking to myself….I thought I was going mad at that point."

Azaroth didn't reply, but merely observed Melanie as she spoke to him. It was funny seeing her explain herself, especially with her not wearing her usual full-plate armour. Azaroth could not remember the last time she did not wear her armour, let alone wearing anything metal on her body. It was as if she was vulnerable at the moment, lacking protection of any sort, as she started to sort her feelings.

" The things I felt…it was probably desperation at that time," Melanie replied. " I was desperate…or maybe it was just instinct that just kicked in…you know, when you know that you are going to die, the body may respond in ways you never thought was possible….although…"

Azaroth raised his eyebrows in mild surprise, wondering why she was pausing all of a sudden. " Although…?"

"…I think I remember experiencing the same thing before, when I was dueling Commander Deinnelle," Melanie replied.

" …Makes sense…strong as you are, you probably don't have that much strength to break a weapon using brute force alone," Azaroth replied.

" ….Are you making fun of me?" Melanie asked, looking at him in an irritated manner.

" Come now, you're good, but you are not 'that' good," Azaroth replied, shrugging his shoulders and giving of a conceited look on his face which Melanie was just so tempted to hit. And that was precisely what she did, fall into temptation as Azaroth saw her fist rise up and fly towards his direction. He felt the impact of Melanie's fist hit his face, and he was sent reeling backwards.

" Oh, what!? What the hell did I do?" Azaroth demanded, rubbing his cheeks as he took a few steps backwards.

" Oh hell, I don't know Azy, but you know, I think I've been holding back from hitting you for a long time now…I think it must be your cheek," Melanie replied, getting out of bed, just dressed in a simple cotton clothes, slamming her fists together. To Azaroth, it looked like she was having a lot of fun.

Azaroth backed off some more, trying to put as much distance as he could, which was limited in the infirmary room they were in. " Look, I know the priests said you need to relax a bit, but if this is your idea of relaxing, I don't like it one bit. Now, get back to bed!" Azaroth demanded.

At that instant, the door of their room burst open, and several people entered. Azaroth turned his attention to them, noting that they were all affiliated to the church. A couple of monks entered first, flanking their sides, followed by a couple of crusaders and a number of priests and priestesses. An elderly old man entered, dressed in the cardinal's robes, carrying a golden staff in his hands.

" I see that you are up already, Melanie Stryfort," the cardinal spoke. Neither Azaroth nor Melanie liked the sound of his tone.

" What is it that you want with me?" Melanie asked, sounding as if she was on her guard.

" I think you should know very well, Miss Stryfort. The events in Payon have reached our ears, and we find it to be prudent to act on this…heretic behavior, I must say," the cardinal spoke. " We have orders to take you in, and begin a check on your status. Now, you will come quietly, or we shall remove you with force."

" Hey, hey, hey, look here…let's take it nice and slow," Azaroth replied, stepping in front of the cardinal. " All things aside, that was nothing. I mean, fine, it would be good to figure out why the heck she did whatever she did in Payon…"

" You insolent fool! Are you protecting a vile abomination, a dabbler of the dark arts?!" the cardinal spoke, as if in an outrage.

" Wait, she obviously is not some dark arts practitioner, and…"

" I will not tolerate such rudeness. Stand aside while we apprehend this heretic!" the cardinal exclaimed.

" Hey, you aren't listening to me…"

" Men, take this boy away!"

Melanie's jaw dropped, and so did everyone else in the room, when they saw Azaroth grab the cardinal by the collar, pick him up as if he was made of paper, before socking him hard in the gut. There was this expression of shock on the cardinal's face, but that was erased when Azaroth dropped his feet back on the ground and threw a punch at his face, breaking his jaw from the sound of it, and knocking his unconscious.

" Damn, that felt good…" Azaroth replied, whistling at the sight of the unconscious cardinal on the floor. " …And the name's Azaroth, not boy, old fart!"

" Why you!" one of the monks exclaimed, grabbing Azaroth by the shoulder.

Azaroth grabbed his hand, and with a sudden burst of strength, threw him over his head, aiming the body to fly towards one of the crusaders, knocking both of them to the ground. Azaroth them barged into the second monk, who in turn hit the second crusader, who in turn knocked the rest of the priests and priestesses at the entrance, and they collapsed like dominos. Azaroth got up and brushed his hands, grinning at the spectacle of a dizzy bunch of people lying on the floor.

Only to feel something hit him on his head.

" Ow! What was that for?!" Azaroth demanded, rubbing the spot where Melanie had hit him.

" You idiot! Do you realize what you have done?!" Melanie demanded, looking like a raging goddess.

" …Yeah, I beat up a cardinal," Azaroth replied calmly.

" Do you know the consequences of this?!" Melanie demanded.

" …I do, so what?" Azaroth replied. Melanie wasn't sure whether to be surprised at his indifference, or to be dumbfounded by his blatant ignorance. He had just beaten up a cardinal, and he acted like he had beaten up some street punk. " I could care less if he was a cardinal. I believe all humans are equal, with the exception of women, because I treat them with more respect, unless they don't want it like Vermillion does. I don't give a shit about beating him up, and the consequences can kiss my ass."

" …Are you mad?" Melanie asked.

" Nope, I'm as sane as you are," Azaroth replied. " Regardless, nobody insults my friends. I would have punched him if he said the same words to Tryzen, Selene, Meillienne, or even Grimjaw. Heck, I'd even punch him if he said that to Deinnelle, and I don't even know her that well. So, would you stop harping about it, Mel?"

Melanie turned red slightly when he spoke to her in such an affectionate manner. " Idiot, who said you could call me that?!" Melanie shouted at him.

Azaroth merely grinned at her. " We are friends, right?!" he asked, holding out his hand. " Now, let's get out of here before the authorities get wind of it. I'll try to persuade Aesis to do something about it."

Melanie looked at his outstretched arm, hesitating to take it. She started to ask herself what were the consequences of these actions, but Azaroth had proved himself to be random at times. Something like Vermillion, but not female and less raging all the time. She looked at him, still having that boyish grin on his face. She smiled to herself, before grabbing hold of his hand.

" …Fine, we'll do this your way, Azy," Melanie replied.

Azaroth frowned at the comment. " Hey, it feels weird, hearing you calling me Azy," he replied.

" I share the same sentiments with you calling me Mel…did you teach that to Meillienne? She has been calling me that for a while now," Melanie answered.

" Nope, it was the direct opposite, I assure you," Azaroth answered, dragging Melanie out of the room, although Melanie knew he was lying, but she didn't mind it at all at that moment. " Now, let's go get something to eat. I insist."

_Writer's note: Well, it's been another long run, but we are almost at the end of the second arc. All there is left is the epilogue. _


	36. Epilogue: The Tides of War

**Epilogue: The Tides of War**

Aesis leaned against the wall next to a window in his small office, as he gazed out at the setting sun. The orange glow set a calm hue against the horizon as he took a look at the Pronteran city that was sprawled out in front of him. Dark times will arrive again, and he wondered if the weathered walls of Prontera could stand against the might of darkness once again.

" Being melancholic again, are you? Perhaps if you talk to me enough, you wouldn't be depressed. Heck, I think I am getting depressed, you know. The only person I get to talk to isn't talking to me at all. Come on, I think I'm going insane," Hades, Aesis personal sentient dual broadswords, spoke to him, its eye opening and turning around to look at Aesis.

" Ah well, it is depressing to think I need to comfort myself with a sword," Aesis replied, chuckling.

" This is no laughing matter, Aesis. I know how you feel. You and I, we are connected after all. The Death Knight will rise again," Hades spoke. " Fighting him is another matter, but more importantly…"

" That's enough, Hades. We had this conversation for long enough," Aesis cut him short. " The human heart does not forgive easily. If it were so simple, a lot of the worlds problems would be solved by now. So, I will not hear another word from you again, no matter how sound they may be."

There was a sharp rap on his door, before someone spoke with a muffled voice from behind the door. " Commander, there are two people who wish to see you. They are…"

" Yes, bring them in, I was expecting them," Aesis replied, before turning to Hades and speaking in a whisper " Not a word from you, alright? We'll discuss things later." Hades merely blinked his eyes, before closing them shut.

The voice stopped at once, and the person who spoke to him ran off, the footsteps echoing away from the room, before a pair of footsteps returned to take its place. The door opened up, and two female figures came in. " Ah, Vermillion, back from your holiday, are you? Well, you will need to stay permanently now, since we are going to have some trouble in our hands."

" Hey, it wasn't a holiday, and if you dock off the days I'm allowed to take them, there is going to be hell to pay," Vermillion snarled, cracking her knuckles.

" Still as feisty as ever…good, some things never change, and they should honestly stay that way," Aeris replied before turning to Semilia, who looked tired and worn out, trying her best to catch her breath. " Well, my good elf, what can I do for you today?"

" …There is something important I need to tell you, Commander. I have refrained from telling this to you before, possibly due to my elven pride, but I cannot hold back any longer. I just pray that you will listen to me and accept whatever I say as fact," Semilia replied.

" …You drive a hard bargain. On what grounds should I believe you?" Aesis replied, chuckling slightly.

" This is no laughing matter!" Semilia replied, sounding slightly vexed.

" Ha ha ha, indeed, it isn't," Aesis replied, walking towards one of his cabinets. Opening one of the doors, he knelt down and retrieved a book, before holding it up high. It was a green, leather bound tome, with odd sigils written on it. Vermillion had been in the elven library long enough to recognize elvish signs. " …I think it will save us a lot of trouble explaining to one another if I just show you this."

Semilia's face suddenly when livid. " …What…what is the meaning of this?!" she demanded.

" Meaning? I think the meaning is obvious. You know what's happening, I know what's happening, and we like to keep it that way. This book explains all there is to know…" Aesis replied, walking up to Semilia and handing her the book. " I borrowed it recently, but the librarian wasn't there, so I took the liberty to look for it. Truth to be told, if I knew the existence of this book any sooner, all this mess could have been avoided, but I guess it is too late now."

" Yo, Aesis, did you enter the elf city?" Vermillion asked.

" As a matter of fact, yes I did, not that I didn't know what really happened to it. After all, some of us do know what happened to your city, Princess. I do offer my condolences," Aesis replied, before waving his hand to a bottle of spirits. " My, do I have bad manners. Do you wish to have something to drink?"

" …No…" Semilia replied, looking down on the floor.

" The book has told me everything I need to know, and I shall take action from there. I thank you for your help, Princess, although I would like to ask what you intend to do now," Aesis asked, walking up towards the wall and leaning on it. Vermillion noticed Aesis had a habit on leaning on everything, not that he lacked a backbone or anything.

" …My hunt is not over," Semilia replied firmly.

" And so it is not. Tell me when you do find him," Aesis replied.

" …Wait, just what is going on here? I thought there was some emergency that was supposed to go on here, but what are you guys talking about? I didn't understand anything from that conversation, at all!" Vermillion declared.

" There is nothing you need to understand. What you need to understand is that your superior officers are a bit pissed you went missing, and would like you to return to your post, now," Aesis answered.

" But…"

" Now," Aesis replied with a finality in his words.

Vermillion's shoulders slumped, before she trotted out of the room, while Semilia followed her closely. Aesis watched them leave, and until long after he could not hear their footsteps echoing on the stone floor outside did he suddenly speak up.

" So, how long do you plan on hiding, Krayken?" Aesis asked.

Upon being prompted, Krayken suddenly bounded into the room from the window, landing on the floor without a sound. The assassin looked around, surveying his surroundings, before looking directly at Aesis.

" Bah, like a shadow, and persistent like one, I would like to add," Hades spoke up. " So, where have you been?"

" I've been asking Krayken to run some errands," Aesis replied, before turning to Krayken. " So, are they ready?"

" I believe so, but we would need…"

" I know, I know, don't remind me," Aesis replied, cutting Krayken short, before walking towards the window, looking at the last moments of light in the sky fade away to give way to night. " We still have a long way to go, but we will make it eventually." With that, he fell silent as he watched the sun set in the distance.

_Writer's note: Well, there you have it, the epilogue for this current arc. Guess this wraps it up, for now. _

_Thanks for reading, do wait for the sequel, which I would hopefully start soon.  
_


End file.
